Piero Manzoni

An Italian artist Piero Manzoni is now famously known for canning and selling his excrement as art. Manzoni's body of work, characterized by irreverence and subversion, encompasses monochromatic paintings, sculptures, and conceptual art objects, all imbued with a humorous and mischievous satire. 

Biography of Piero Manzoni

Piero Manzoni was born in 1933 in Soncino, a village near Cremona in the Po Valley. His formative years were primarily spent in Milan, where he received his education at the esteemed Jesuit school Liceo Leone XIII. He frequently visited the family's residence near Lake Garda and a seaside resort on the Ligurian Riviera. 

At the age of 17, Manzoni began creating traditional landscapes and figurative works without any formal art training or education. Many of these works were destroyed or painted over. Despite his lack of formal training, his noble family background and outgoing personality made him a well-known social figure in his early adulthood. He developed a lasting friendship with the Argentine-Italian painter Lucio Fontana, which significantly influenced his artistic practice. 

Although Manzoni briefly studied at the Brera Academy in Milan, the most significant aspect of this period was his time spent at 'The Giamaica', an artists' café in the city. Here, artists gathered to discuss their influences, desires, and ideas about the nature of art. These debates fascinated the young Manzoni and had a more profound influence on his development than the formal lessons at the academy.

In 1956, Manzoni's initial exhibitions were part of group shows for local painters. His works featured oil paintings of humanoid subjects and everyday objects that had been dipped in paint and printed onto the canvas. During this early phase, he formulated a working manifesto outlining his philosophy of art. With "Per la scoperta di una zone d'immagini (For the discovery of a zone of images)" in 1956, he proclaimed that painting represented his concept of freedom, and his process involved seeking out and creating the images. This early focus on using manifestos to articulate the artist's individual intentions persisted throughout his career, evolving into a critical examination of art world conventions.

Manzoni became associated with the International Nuclear Movement in 1957 through his friendship with Fontana. In the same year, the 'Nucleari' group exhibited at the Galleria San Fedele in Milan, featuring artists such as Enrico Baj, Franco Bemporard, Mario Rossello, Asger Jorn, Arnaldo and Gio Pomodoro, Ettore Sordini, Serge Vandercam, Angelo Verga, and Yves Klein. This exhibition was particularly inspiring for Manzoni, especially the work of Klein.

Shortly after this exhibition, Manzoni created his first "Achrome," a white monochromatic canvas aimed at freeing painting from narrative and figuration. 

While Klein was a significant influence on this phase of Manzoni's practice, his long-time friend Fontana also played a crucial role. Fontana's artistic career had brought Manzoni considerable recognition and connected him with several avant-garde groups in Milan. This personal connection allowed Manzoni to develop works alongside other painters and artists who were critically considering the process of art-making. This exploration prompted him to question the nature of art itself, leading him to expand his practice beyond painting.

Through Fontana's introduction, Manzoni became close friends with artist Enrico Castellani. Together, they co-wrote and published two issues of the journal Azimuth. 

In 1961, Manzoni continued to challenge the conception of the art object. He utilized what he called his "artist's touch" to create artworks using human beings, certifying them as living sculptures by marking them with his signature. These works were exhibited alongside Enrico Castellani at the Galleria La Tartaruga in Rome. Additionally, Manzoni created a series of plinth works he named "Magic Bases," inviting members of the audience to stand on them and become a part of the sculpture.

Manzoni's "Magic Bases" led to a collaboration with Danish manufacturer Aage Damgaard, who invited the artist to create a work during a residency on his property. Manzoni inverted one of the plinths and named it "Socle du Monde (Base of the World)," signifying the entire earth as a work of art. 

Manzoni's artwork was showcased in the twelfth edition of the Premio Lissone and was part of the "informative experimental section" of the Gruppo Milano 61 artists. This period also marked the creation of his most famous and controversial piece, the "Merda d'Artista (Artist's Shit)," consisting of 90 small cans supposedly containing his excrement. The work debuted at the Albisola, Galleria Pescetto in August.

During this period, Manzoni's reputation continued to expand through several notable group and solo exhibitions. 

In 1963, Piero Manzoni tragically passed away in his studio from a heart attack. This was the same day an exhibition of his Achrome paintings was taking place in Brussels. His death certificate was signed by his friend and fellow artist, Ben Vautier, and declared to be a work of art.