PASSINGS

Costantino Nivola; Italian-Born Sculptor

Costantino Nivola, 76, a sculptor whose work ranged from huge bas-relief murals for public buildings to female figurines on an intimate scale. The native of Italy moved to New York in 1939 and became an early champion of modern architecture, serving as art director for Progressive Architecture and Interiors magazine. Among his commissions were a 110-foot-long mural for the Mutual Insurance Co. building in Hartford, Conn.; a war memorial in Falls Church, Va.; a dramatic sand-sculptured wall for the former Olivetti Co. showroom on 5th Avenue, now at Harvard, and numerous sculptures and wall paintings for playgrounds in and around New York. His sculpture is currently on view in “Three Italo-American Artists,” an exhibition touring in Italy. In Southampton, N.Y., on Thursday of a heart attack.