Libero Badii (Arezzo, Italy, 1916-Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2001) was a sculptor whose main output consisted of works of symbolic significance. During the 1950s, following a trip through Latin America, his work was influenced by pre-Columbian art. He created the concept of "the sinister" as both a form of knowledge and a way of feeling. He named his studio-workshop Almataller [SoulShop].
The importance of this document lies in its analysis of one of Badii's more significant works, and its explanation of his creative process; it also helps to clarify the term "sinister" which he uses in a variety of ways. This document is an example of the books that Badii published to illustrate his creative process based on several core aspects of his work. His large-scale sculptures made of polychrome wooden planks and strips express the totemic nature of pre-Columbian art as a form of portraying that which cannot be portrayed (or, "the sinister," as he calls it). These polychrome wooden pieces, which he started producing in the late-1960s, recharged Badii's international reputation because of the way in which he applied color on his sculpture.
Photographs: Estudio Calderella-Banchero. This copy is dedicated to Jacques Martínez (dealer).