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Italian painter, sculptor and theorist, Fontana was born in Argentina but moved to Milan with his family in 1905. In 1922, returned to Buenos Aires where he set up his own studio for sculpture in 1924. Between 1928 and 1930, he studied at the Accademia di Brera. Some years later, he cut his links with the Novecento group and, in 1934, joined Abstraction-Création. He then began taking part in exhibitions held by the Corrente group. In 1937, he moved towards the neo-expressionist currents that were appearing in Italian cities in reaction to the Novecento group. During the Second World War, Fontana returned to Argentina where he founded the Altamira Academy with the artists Jorge Romero Brest and Jorge Larco. At the end of the 40s, beginning of the 50s, he finally opted for abstraction, with his monochromatic canvases which were ripped and perforated. He returned to Italy in 1948 and one of his last works was a series of Teatrini (small theatres). He was awarded first prize for painting at the 1966 Venice Biennale and had his first major retrospective at the Walker Art Center, in Minneapolis.

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