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Bernardo Graiver, the writer, analyzes the works of Líbero Badii in terms of a work of art concerning human knowledge, inspired by the artist's idea that "the spirit takes physical forms." Graiver reviews Badii's work as though it were either a poem of exaltation of circumstances or as a conceptual work that suggests a perceptive and philosophic order. The author analyzes Badii's "itinerary of ideas" in his work based on the conceptual duos of creation-invention and civilization-barbarism. Graiver claims that Líbero Badii's "neo-figurationism" is a form of neo-expression that interprets the national reality in terms of "archetyped" men. 


Líbero 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]. 

Bernardo Graiver, the writer, was among the most noted Jewish intellectuals in Argentina, and was associated with the cultural ideas of left-wing thinkers of the time. His play, El hijo del rabino [The Son of the Rabi] was his best-known work. 

This essay is unique because of its conceptual assessment of Líbero Badii's work, based on suggestive interpretations of both his plastic production and his thinking. It is of particular interest in that it uses terms that are generally not associated with Badii's work, such as neo-figurationism and neo-expression.

Roberto Amigo
Fundación Espigas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.