Lucky Tree
Umberto Mastroianni
1978/Bronze/Italy
Along with Giacomo Manzu and Emilio Greco, Mastroianni is one of the great masters of postwar Italian sculpture. He was drafted into the army during World War II, but deserted and joined the resistance movement. His experiences during the war led him to pursue freedom and peace, which became his lifelong artistic concept. Hiroshima (1960), owned by the Hakone Open-Air Museum, is one of his works that expresses his anti-war and peace prayers. The tree in this work, named "Good Fortune," has lush branches and is laden with fruit. It gives us a glimpse into the artist's thoughts of escaping and regenerating from the despair he felt shortly after the war, and finding bright hope in life.
