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All rights reserved. No part of this book may bereproduced in any form by any electronic ormechanical means (including photocopying,recording, or information storage and retrieval)without permission in writing from the publisher. © Brun Fine Art© 2025 by Brun Fine Art© The authors for the texts© NM3 for the design works© Vermi Archive for the worksDOUBLESArturo Vermi + NM3April 5 - 16, 2025Brun Fine ArtVia Gesù 17, MilanTexts byAlberto MazzaccheraAlida PrioriArturo VermiExhibition curated byAlberto MazzaccheraAlida PrioriFrancesca GhiringhelliNM3Photographs by Arturo Vermi@Elena Datrino@Archivio Arturo VermiPhotographs by NM3@dls_studioInstallation view @sarahindriolo@dls_studio Translations by Brando AlbrighiSpecial thanks toAnna CramarossaAnna RizzoDaniela PortaRino TornambèArchivio Vermi www.archiviovermi.com

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Summarizing many years of work in a few lines is a task both arduousand unjust. I will therefore proceed as if marking a calendar […]1956: The year of my first solo exhibition at the Centro Culturale Pirelli,where I displayed figurative paintings imbued with the fresh, enthusiasticinfluence of German Expressionism and Impressionism. However, Iquickly destroyed anything figurative in my works, and by 1958, mycanvases had become Informal. Even then, I felt the need for certainty, fora belief that could justify life on this planet, a figure as rigorous anddetermined as a square. The square was always the final solution in eachof my paintings during that period. Around 1960, I went to Paris, where Ifocused primarily on engravings, etchings, and lithographs. To this day, Ifirmly believe that my subsequent work with the "sign" had its roots there.I then returned to Milan, where the cultural ferment seemed more aliveand active. This was a period in which the "sign" interpreted the space Ipainted, also presented as a conceptual image.THE LETTER TEXTCURATED BYALIDA PRIORI

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La Presenza, Le Marine, I Paesaggi were nothing more than "concepts"of presence, of the sea, and of landscapes. Returning now to thechronology of my work […] In 1965, I began a series of works I woulddefine as "of space." By space, I now mean the void, the space beyondEarth, cosmic space. Titles such as Invasione, Inserto, Frammento, andPiattaforma were used to identify my works. A fortunate period followeduntil 1975, the year when, alas, I declared my "disengagement," afterwhich I was summarily judged and exiled. "I hereby declare the beginningof the era of disengagement, for today I am different from yesterday, I must modify or deny what I affirmedyesterday. Without this freedom, there can be no evolution, progress,science, or happiness. Therefore, let us abandon commitments to: father,mother, country, dogma, ideals."Let us only do what makes us happy [...] My intent was simply to createbeautiful things.May 1983

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INTROThe artistic foundation of Arturo Vermi's work is rooted in the Parisianavant-garde and later Milanese movements. The Milan of the 50s and60s had become a European artistic and cultural hub, so much so that, in1961, Vermi chose Italy: “So I returned to Milan, where the flurry ofresearch seemed more active and alive.”Here, he became connected with the four young artists of the Gruppo delCenobio. These were years of intense and passionate confrontation, inan environment like that of the Cenobio, where the influence of theFrankfurt School was strong and where American minimalism wasunwittingly anticipated. Vermi further deepened Lucio Fontana’s lessonon space, producing a visionary and original painting that, withsubsequent three-dimensional inserts, moved towards a painting on theedge of the perimeter, tangent to a sculpture. This was achieved throughsolid elements in constant tension with the signs traced on the surface ofthe canvas.

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The use of gold and silver leaf in Vermi’s works serves as a powerfulreference to astral light, while black graphite evokes the darkness ofinterstellar space, and the curved sculptural surfaces refer to the themeof the curvature of the universe. The temporal dialogue, highlighted bythe works exhibited in the show, is emphasised by the fact that Vermiimagines some of his sculptures arranged as installations in modernhabitats, like bright slashes capable of opening passages in the space ofinfinite universes, to capture, like powerful antennas, fragments of thecosmos in which to project oneself. This cosmic dimension, amplifiedfurther by the theme of moon landings, finds points of contact with thestylistic approach of NM3, a Milanese design brand founded in 2020 byNicolò Ornaghi, Francesco Zorzi, and Delfino Sisto Legnani.At NM3, the work revolves around a few carefully selected details, withina logic of measured repetition and optimization aimed at the pursuit ofperfection. Elements are mixed with a need for consistency anddurability, cherished by ancient builders, while never forgetting today’surgent necessity for sustainability. Furthermore, just as in Vermi’spaintings with three-dimensional inserts and his sculpted curvatures, thedesign created by NM3 uses reflective surfaces and metals with refinedfinishes, the result of elaborate craftsmanship.

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These are the key factors for generating a sophisticated continuitybetween the volumes of the objects, which reveal an aspiration foruniqueness, and the architectural space in which they are immersed. Thishappens in a skillful fusion of modernism and a rigorous, honestapproach, firmly grounded in the principles of stylistic consistency. Thethree designers shape every element of their creations, bringingfunctionality together with aesthetics in a clean and harmonious way,creating furnishings capable of conquering space with sculpturalstrength.In a perfect balance, the creations of NM3, with the intensity that comesfrom being stripped of any visual excess, in celebrating the essence offunctionality without abandoning harmony, openly engage in dialoguewith the search for beauty, truth, and space expressed in the art of ArturoVermi.The curators

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It can certainly be said that Vermi's "Curved Spaces" were born in aminimalist environment, driven by metaphysical exploration. These workschallenge traditional painting, prefiguring the exploration of new visualand spatial horizons on the canvas, where the artistic avant-gardes hadalready questioned all the problems of the world.Vermi destroys everything figurative that could exist within the frame toreconstruct a new language that was contemporary to the scientificmetamorphosis of the society in which he worked. In this way, he directshis creativity towards a spatiality that expands into the immensity of thecosmic dimension, moving beyond tradition. The cosmic space, thesquare as a necessity for certainty and as the final solution of everypainting, the intention to create only beautiful things, but above all, hisintuition of “opting for the solution” to “do only what makes us happy,”make him a pragmatic artist fully aware of his time. DOUBLESARTURO VERMI + NM3TEXTCURATED BYALIDA PRIORI

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These characteristics also find a sincere connection with the pragmatic andformal approach of NM3, a design brand founded in Milan in 2020 by the trio:Nicolò Ornaghi, Francesco Zorzi, and Delfino Sisto Legnani. Like Vermi, whostripped the space of the canvas rather than filling it, they create a grammarthat, in turn, generates a language. This language is then stripped of anyexcess words. Hard, sharp metal lines with perfect geometric rigor – "we workwith a very limited range of details that are repeated, optimized, and adapteddepending on the situation." They define themselves as rigorous, repetitive,and honest. We could say the same about Vermi, who was so honest that hewas exiled.Today, however, the times are ripe, and honesty and rigor are part of a currentexpressive medium and a pragmatic necessity, thanks in part to digitalcommunication. A simplicity of vision and project born precisely from thehonesty that the three creatives imposed on themselves, operating withinrules that maintain the distinctive features of their product. A coherent andconscious language, especially when it comes to sustainability: by workingwith few materials, the supply chain is short, thus ensuring a relatively lowenvironmental impact. Moreover, metal is infinitely recyclable, furthercontributing to waste reduction and resource savings.The consistency and durability of an object are key themes for NM3. Thestudy of materials and structure in relation to the skilled and methodical use ofspace, along with the reflective research, refer to certain aspects of the“Curved Fragments,” where painting and sculpture blend.

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In a dialogue between past and future, both speak of contaminations,which, while for Vermi were between man and his vision of the universe,for NM3 are approached in a fully practical manner.Thus, the use of raw-finished materials like metal echoes the style ofmodernist architects. This movement, which developed mainly betweenthe two world wars, emphasized the concept of "form follows function."This meant that the appearance of buildings should be determined bytheir practical utility rather than by superfluous ornamentation.A practicality that makes their furniture far from being defined as cozy,but that, thanks to the use of steel with its shiny, reflective surfaces,evokes sculptural elements of hyper-modernist character. Perfect for anyspace, their furniture can change the context but can also be useddifferently when needed. They "invade" the space like silver sculptures: isit design or architecture? Regardless of the answer, NM3’s furniture, which can be adapted to allenvironments, breaks down the definitions of a bureaucratized interiordesign. As FZ puts it: “We don’t adapt a language differently dependingon the context, but we maintain a stylistic consistency.”Although projecting forward, much like astronauts seeking cosmic space,they do not lack references to the past.

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They draw inspiration from modernist architects like Mies van der Rohe,known for his minimalist and rationalist approach with a strong emphasison using simple, pure forms. His famous “Less is More” approach comesto mind.Egon Eiermann, with his functional architecture, whose stylistic signaturehighlights the load-bearing structure of buildings, often visible andintegrated into the formal language of architecture. Or AngeloMangiarotti, who used joints not only as a technical solution to connectpieces of wood but also as an aesthetic and conceptual element. Hisfocus on joints and connections between materials reflected a vision thatsought to reveal the intrinsic beauty of the structure and express itsnature through design. The joints were often made visible so the usercould appreciate the assembly process and the craftsmanship of thefurniture, elevating functionality into an artistic expression.Modularity, versatility, and durability influenced his work and today reflectthe design philosophy of NM3, where precision, elegance, and respect formaterials are the key ingredients for creating, as Vermi said: "Onlybeautiful things."

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Arturo Vermi’s (1928–1988) quest first for emptiness on the canvassurface—"not to fill it but to strip it"—and then for "emptiness made ofspace-time" translates into a projection into cosmic space, envisioning autopian new way for humans to live happily. The moon landings hadalready inspired him in 1965 to delve into themes of the universe and itsrelationship with humankind. Within a few years, everything began to takeshape: from an initial, irrepressible creative urgency, a new way ofimagining the future life of human beings developed and took form.Following significant critical and public acclaim in Venice in 1974 (atPalazzo delle Prigioni Vecchie) and in Milan in 1975 (at Rotonda di viaBesana) with his large sculptures that captivated both architecture andvisitors, Vermi in 1975 proclaimed the beginning of the "season ofhappiness." In 1976, he printed and posted in three Italian cities hisManifesto of the Declaration of Disengagement. He paid a high price forthis, experiencing what he himself bitterly called an exile—not official, butpainfully real. In retrospect, it is difficult to understand the hostility hefaced. ARTURO VERMICOSMIC SPACE AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESSTEXT CURATEDBYALBERTOMAZZACCHERA

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After all, the idea of the right to happiness had been championed by thegreat Neapolitan Enlightenment jurist Gaetano Filangieri (1753–1788),whose ideas had influenced Benjamin Franklin and inspired the U.S.Constitution.Yet, Vermi’s moving Projects of Happiness received no cultural receptionin an Italy grappling with the "Years of Lead," marked by terrorism, andwhich had already responded harshly in 1968 with a naval blockade andthe demolition, in international waters, of the Isola delle Rose, an artificialplatform where young people sought to create a micronation based onideals of absolute freedom. Declaring "disengagement" at that time wasinterpreted—perhaps mistakenly—as a verbal act akin to the ideologicalthreats of terrorism.Far removed from ideological positions, Vermi was simply trying to carveout spaces of freedom, reflecting this pursuit in his works, the result of adifficult artistic journey. His early figurative paintings, self-taught andcreated in Monza’s Villa Reale park while working at Pirelli, were not onlydestroyed by Vermi himself but were already surpassed by 1958 throughthe vibrant debates he engaged in with artists around Brera.After a two-year stay in Paris, immersed in avant-garde movements,Vermi decided to return to Milan in 1961, writing in Open Letter (May1983): "where the ferment of research seemed more alive and active tome."

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Milan, in fact, from the 1950s to the 1960s, was a hub of European artists,shaped by the teachings of Lucio Fontana (1899–1968) and BrunoMunari (1907–1998). The city not only reclaimed a place on the artisticmap but, as Angela Vettese put it, became "a pioneering force in Westernart."Vermi’s return to Italy coincided with the fertile experience of the CenobioGroup, where poet, philosopher, and critic Alberto Lùcia was a unifyingforce. Among its members were Ettore Sordini (1934–2012) and AngeloVerga (1933–1999), whose artistic background included significantcollaborations with Piero Manzoni (1933–1963). The group enjoyed therecognition of Lucio Fontana, who had introduced them at the PaterGallery in Milan on May 29, 1957, in the exhibition Manzoni, Verga, Sordini.Alongside Vermi, Agostino Ferrari (1938) was the closest to his artisticresearch, while Ugo La Pietra (1938) leaned more toward Munari’s ideas.Founded in 1962, the Cenobio Group was Milan’s third artistic responseto the Informal Art crisis, alongside Manzoni’s nihilistic approach and aconstructive-objective direction led by Enrico Castellani (1930–2017) andAgostino Bonalumi (1935–2013).Ugo La Pietra rightly pointed out the misleading nature of the group’sname, Cenobio, which derived from the gallery that hosted their firstexhibition.

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Although they shared Manzoni’s view that "for the artist, the only problemis to achieve absolute freedom," they chose a different path: a reductionof painting to a pure space of sign investigation. This approach paralleled the work of Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–1898)and, at times, even foreshadowed American Minimalism.Vermi deeply absorbed Fontana’s teachings, both through directinteraction and by studying his writings, developing an independent andoriginal interpretation of space.With his Diaries series, Vermi challenged the constraints traditionallyimposed on painting, erasing not just the surface but also the physicalspace. At the end of this initial, tempestuous process of deconstructingpainting’s fundamental elements, he found an inner calm and anoverwhelming need for silence. Facing the blank canvas, overcoming hishorror vacui, he perceived space as reassuring and fulfilling. Without theurge to fill it, he began—using his own words from March 1971—"leavinga silver horizontal mark in the middle of a blue expanse, or two marks inan otherwise empty canvas, and so I called that series Landscapes." Herealized that "space exists because we are a point within it."From one painting to the next, he sought to make this space-time voideven more visible by curving surfaces so that the figures appearing onthem would resemble islands in the desert of time.

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By now, Vermi had consolidated his theoretical insights into paintings andsculptures that grew in originality and recognition. He embraced the quadrilateral as a rigorous form, refined the sign as aninterpreter of space, and, through purification, elevated it to the status ofa conceptual image. Enchanted by astronautical explorations, heimmersed his creativity in an ever-expanding cosmic dimension,reflecting on humanity’s detachment from earthly constraints.His work, like that of his fellow Cenobio artists, remained firmly rooted inthe belief in a new kind of painting—but always painting and sculpture.At times, the distinction between painting and sculpture in his workbecame almost imperceptible. His Inserti series—paintings madebetween the 1960s and late 1970s—feature various techniques, includingcollage. However, more often, three-dimensional wooden inserts, gildedor silvered, emerge from the canvas, interacting with the conceptualpresences painted or drawn on it. Increasingly, Vermi sought not"absolute reality," as he stated in 1972, but "that of man in relation to theentirety surrounding him," ultimately adopting a cosmic vision. As LucianoCaramel noted, this allowed him to reach a form of "immanenttranscendence."His Inserti series connected to his sculptural work, leading to Platforms,Curved Surfaces, Fragments, and eventually monumental sculptures.

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He often employed gold and silver leaf, evoking timelessness and astrallight—or graphite, representing interstellar darkness. His curved surfacesalluded to the curvature of the universe, reinforcing his cosmic vision.Through these materials and techniques, Vermi achieved soft luminosityand captivating light effects, suggestive of something beyond. By carvingout cosmic spaces, he envisioned his works as luminous openings withinmodern living spaces—windows onto infinite universes, capable ofcapturing cosmic fragments and projecting humankind towardhappiness in other possible worlds.

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Arturo Vermi (Bergamo, 1928–Paderno d'Adda, 1988) began his artisticjourney in 1955 with figurative painting characterized by dark tones andexpressionist echoes. His first solo exhibition took place in 1956 at thePirelli workers' club, a place oflively artistic experimentation. In 1959, heintroduced the cycle of Lavagne, while a stay in Paris in 1960-61broughthim closer to French Informal artists. Upon returning, he developed theLapidi, material works with chromatic engravings. Gradually, the linebecame the protagonist and organized itself in an increasingly structuredway, anticipating the Diari of the early '60s.In 1962, he founded theGruppo del Cenobio(Cenobio Group) withAgostino Ferrari, Ugo LaPietra, Ettore Sordini, and Angelo Verga, with theaim of investigating the sign as anessential visual language. His researchevolved with the Paesaggi, Figure, and Marine, where spatiality tookon acentral role.By the late '60s, influenced by Lucio Fontana, he explored thecosmic dimension: in the Approdi and Inserti series, he used gold andsilver leaves to transform color into cosmic light. In the '70s, he createdinstallations such as Piattaforme, Esodo, and Frammenti, three-dimensional works that reflect light and increasingly interact with space.In1975, he focused his research on happiness and founded themagazineAzzurro, distributed at the 1978 Venice Biennale. During thesame period, he developed the Manifesto of Disengagement andproposed the Annalogio, a time-measuring device as an alternative to theclock. He passed away in 1988, leaving behind a visionary artistic legacycentered on the sign andcosmic space.BIOGRAPHYARTURO VERMI

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NM3 does interiors, products, installations and custom furniture designwith a strong focus on raw material and geometric rigour.NM3’s work has been exhibited at the Triennale Milano, Milan DesignWeek - Alcova, Salone del Mobile, and Rimowa As Seen By. NM3 hasdesigned custom installations for brands as Adidas, Off-White, Moncler,Sunnei, Inter Milano Football Club and Flash Art Magazine. NM3’s workhas been published in magazines as Ignant, Living Corriere, Elle Decor,Interni, Highsnobiety, Hypebeast, Lampoon, Flash Art, Vogue Italy, GQand many others. NM3 is a double sided entity, both a design brand and aconsultancy agency which does architecture, interior, product, andcustom furniture design. NM3 is founded by Nicolò Ornaghi, Francesco Zorzi and Delfino SistoLegnani and is based in Milan.BIOGRAPHYNM3

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