 In 1961, following an invitation to participate along with artists Jean Dubuffet, Mark Rothko, Sam Francis, and others in an exhibition of contemporary painting entitled "Art and Contemplation", held at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, he created a series of 22 works dedicated to the lagoon city.He manipulated the paint with his fingers and various instruments to make furrows, sometimes including scattered fragments of Murano glass.Fontana was subsequently invited by Michel Tapié to exhibit the works at the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York.