FR · EN · PIERO MANZONI "L' INVINCIBLE JEAN" AND EARLY WORKS 1956 - 1957 · Hauser & Wirth Basel · Close - 14 Février 2026 · All artworks © Fondazione Piero Manzoni, Milan · Press Release · Gallery Photo
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| PIERO MANZONI Milano et mitologia (Milan and Mythology)1956 Enamel, tempera and wax on board 95 × 130 cm / 37 3/8 × 51 1/8 in © Fondazione Piero Manzoni, MilanoPhoto: Jon Etter |
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| PIERO MANZONI Senza titolo (Untitled) 1956 |
The renowned Italian artist Piero Manzoni emerged as a powerful voice for the avant-garde in the 1950s, debuting as an artist at the ‘4a Fiera mercato: Mostra d’arte contemporanea’ in 1956. A self-taught painter, his work heavily featured anthropomorphic silhouettes and the impressions of objects. He began making his ‘white paintings’—later named ‘Achromes’—in 1957, at first with rough gesso and then with kaolin, as well as with creased canvases or surfaces divided into squares.
In 1959, the artist began his series which experimented with the display of inflated white balloons. The results—‘Corpi d’aria (Bodies of Air)' and ‘Fiato d’artista (Artist’s Breath),’ where balloons were poised on a tripod or wooden plinth—extended the creative experimentation first visualized in the ‘Achromes’ as Manzoni embarked upon works that used an entirely new visual language, reframing artistic interpretation. In July 1960, he presented ‘Consumazione dell.'
In 1959, the artist began his series which experimented with the display of inflated white balloons. The results—‘Corpi d’aria (Bodies of Air)' and ‘Fiato d’artista (Artist’s Breath),’ where balloons were poised on a tripod or wooden plinth—extended the creative experimentation first visualized in the ‘Achromes’ as Manzoni embarked upon works that used an entirely new visual language, reframing artistic interpretation. In July 1960, he presented ‘Consumazione dell.'
Caption and courtesy information: All artworks © Fondazione Piero Manzoni, Milan
Piero Manzoni L’invincibile Jean (The Invincible Jean) 1957
Oil and tar on canvas 60 x 50 cm / 23 5/8 x 19 5/8 in
Piero Manzoni on the terrace of his first studio (via Montebello, Milan), 1957
Photo © Uliano Lucas
Piero Manzoni Domani chi sa (Tomorrow who knows) 1956
Enamel, tempera and wax on board 90 x 70 cm / 35 3/8 x 27 1/2 in
Piero Manzoni in his studio, via Montebello, Milan, 1957
Photo: Emilio Colella © Paola & Giovanni Colella
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