1899
Lucio Fontana is born on 19 February in Rosario, Argentina, to Italian parents
1905
He moves with his family to Milan, Italy
1920s
He initially works as a sculptor and studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan
1940
During the Second World War, Fontana returns to Argentina and develops his first ideas on the concept of space
1946
Together with his students, he publishes the White Manifesto, which sets out the foundations of his later spatial art
1947
Fontana introduces the term ‘Concetto Spaziale’ (spatial concept) and develops a new artistic language that combines space, light, movement and matter
1948
After returning to Italy, he consistently puts his ideas of Spatialism into practice and begins to open up the picture plane spatially through holes and perforations
1950s
He creates his famous Concetto Spaziale works featuring perforated canvases and develops installations with floating forms and neon light
1958
Fontana begins his iconic Tagli series, in which he cuts precise slits in the canvas to reveal the physical space behind the picture
1966
He is awarded the Grand Prize for Painting at the Venice Biennale in recognition of his pioneering contribution to modern art
1968
Lucio Fontana dies on 7 September in Italy