My dissertation reconsiders the early work of one the most significant artists of the postwar period, Alberto Burri (1915–1995). It focuses on the years immediately following the war, during which time Burri’s artistic métier rapidly evolved from a conservative painting practice into a highly experimental and internationally recognized mixed media project. Ample evidence suggests that the transformation of Burri’s work was intimately tied to his participation in the avant-garde circles of 1950s Rome. Yet scholarship on the artist has long characterized him as a solitary, creative genius working in isolation. I show that Burri deliberately sought to establish the singular and independent character of his artistic practice in response to the perceived failures of his community. I argue these failures are rooted in the unfulfilled promises of fascism, which persisted in the cultural, social, and political ruins of reconstruction Italy.