Sweeping Gesture for Maximum Space at the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp, Belgium

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Quinto Ghermandi came from a peasant family and discovered early on his passion for sculpture. As a child, he created playful ceramics by shaping clay and burning it in an oven made of stones. He began his education at the Liceo Artistico in Bologna under Cleto Tomba's guidance (1898-1987) and later at the Scuola di Ercole Drei and finally at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, completing his studies in 1940. After World War II and four years of British captivity in North Africa, where he intensely studied British magazines featuring the art of Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore, Ghermandi started shaping small ceramic sculptures. In the 1950s, he began creating abstract metal sculptures by welding together various pieces. He was invited to participate at the Venice Biennale in 1952, which led to a series of large bronze sculptures. In 1958, he designed animal figures for a park in Bologna and won the prize that same year. The following year, Ghermandi received the prize for sculpture in Carrara and won an international competition for bronze sculptures in Padua, along with Lynn Chadwick. He was represented at major national and international art events at that time. Ghermandi participated in the biennals of Venice in 1960 and 1966 and the Rome Quadriennale in 1965. During the 1960s, he had numerous solo exhibitions and participated in major sculpture exhibitions across Europe, the USA, Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, Iran, and Egypt. In 1964, his works were showcased at documenta III in Kassel in the Sculpture Department. Ghermandi won the prize for sculpture at Il Fiorino d'Oro in Florence in 1967 and 1969. His creations are part of public and private collections across Europe, particularly in Scandinavia, the United States, and Latin America. He created numerous public monuments and fountains worldwide. Quinto Ghermandi was a professor of sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti first in Florence and then in Bologna; he held the post of Director from 1981 to 1984. He was married to painter Romana Spinelli.