The works Barriera and Sbarra e Cemento belong to Mauro Staccioli’s first phase of artistic production. Between the late 1960s and the first half of the 1970s, Staccioli created numerous works made of concrete and sharp iron points that symbolized the class struggle against capitalism and reflected the tense Italian political climate during the so-called “years of lead.” The work Barriera was presented on Piazzale Sant’Andrea during the artist’s solo exhibition “Sculptures in the City” in 1972. The exhibition proved to be nationally important for the relationship between artistic design and urban spaces.
In 2015 it found its current location in front of the Camaldolese Abbey on the occasion of the exhibition “Volterra 73.15,” a re-enactment of the exhibition curated by Enrico Crispolti “Volterra ’73,” which marked a turning point for art in the city context.