“Painted canvas and standing plaster figures no longer have any reason to exist,” said Lucio Fontana. “What is needed is a change in both essence and form.” Fontana’s change in essence and form was cutting edge—literally—and revolutionary. He slashed his canvases, wielding the knife with precision and power. As Fontana was developing his Concetto spaziale (Spacial concept), he looked to Italian Gothic painting of the 13th century for inspiration. Those early pioneers were the first artists to begin representing space. They studied perspective and portrayed depth in their two-dimensional works—fundamentals of perception upon which the Futurists built. This exhibition juxtaposes pieces by Fontana with the art of 13th-century masters such as Taddeo di Bartolo, Jacopo di Cione, and Bicci di Lorenzo. The parallels are powerful. —Elena Clavarino