Uruguayan artist Pablo Atchugarry, whose instantly recognizable marble sculptures are situated in public spaces around the world, is currently the subject of a solo museum exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome from May 19 to June 21, titled Scolpire la Luce (Sculpting Light). The exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of Atchugarry’s mastery of marble as well as other mediums such as wood, alabaster, bronze, and steel. 

The exhibition brings together approximately fifty works created over the past fifteen years by Atchugarry, who has had five solo exhibitions at Hollis Taggart. One of the most important living South American artists, Atchugarry is known for his mastery of marble, which he began sculpting in the late 1970s. This museum exhibition spotlights Atchugarry’s ability to create sinuous forms and elegant folds out of marble, and how he has successfully translated the artistic language of European Old Masters sculpture into his own idiom, inflected with post-constructivist elements. Influenced by the work of sculptors Constantin Brancusi and Henry Moore, Atchugarry is known for his devotion to working with his own hands, in contrast to the workshop practices taken up by some of his contemporaries. 

Atchugarry, who represented Uruguay in the 2003 Venice Biennale, splits his time between Lecco, Italy, and Punta del Este, Uruguay, and is actively involved in the arts scenes of both countries. In 2022, Atchugarry opened the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Atchugarry (MACA) in Punta del Este, the first and only museum dedicated to global contemporary art in Uruguay. The artist is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Michelangelo Award in Carrara, in recognition of his artistic achievements.

The exhibition is further supplemented by a dialogue with major 20th-century masters from the museum’s permanent collection, including Jean Arp, Lucio Fontana, Alberto Giacometti, and Henry Moore. For this occasion, the artist donated the white marble sculpture Energy, specifically created to enter the museum’s collection.