The story of the Foundation
This section briefly examines the episodes after 1963 that led to the creation of the Archivio Opera Piero Manzoni in 1992 (transformed into the Foundation in 2009) and its principal activities to date.
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2023 LEGAL VICTORY
One of the Achromes declared non-authentic
This year saw another legal victory for the Foundation: a further five Achromes (two creased canvases, two packages in wrapping paper and a squared cotton wool) were declared to be non-authentic by the Civil Court of Milan.
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2023 A GRAPHIC NOVEL ON PIERO MANZONI AND A DOCUMENTARY EXHIBITION IN CREMONA
From the graphic novel Piero Manzoni BACGLSP (Basta a ciascun giorno la sua pena)
Paolo Bacilieri, in collaboration with the Fondazione Piero Manzoni, has created a graphic novel devoted entirely to Piero Manzoni.
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The Cremona Library was the setting for an exhibition of documents curated by Guido Andrea Pautasso and Irene Stucchi. -
2023 LECTURES AND TALKS
Valerio Borgonuovo, Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo and Marco Senaldi during the event Metaverso. Un viaggio iperculturale, Vittoriale degli Italiani, 20 June 2023
Great attention continued to be paid to educational activities, with university students hosted for ad hoc meetings at the Foundation and through lectures or talks by the director Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo, not to mention teacher training within the ambit of the Kidlab project.
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2023 SONCINO TRIBUTES 2/2
Museo della Stampa, Soncino
A major exhibition curated by Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo and Demis Martinelli featured 15 contemporary artists whose poetics present aspects of Manzoni’s own style.
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2023 SONCINO TRIBUTES 1/2
Merda d’artista No. 63 on show at the Museo della Stampa, Soncino, March 2023
Piero Manzoni’s home town hosted several events over the course of the year. Piero Manzoni’s home town hosted several events over the course of the year.
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2023 90th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH (1933) AND 60th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH (1963) OF PIERO MANZONI
Talk Piero Manzoni 1963-2023, Museo del Novecento, February 6th, 2023
On the 6th of February at the Museo del Novecento in Milan, the Fondazione Piero Manzoni reviewed the work undertaken over the course of the last decade and presented the principal events marking the double anniversary. Among these was the international conference in Verona devoted to Merda d’artista.
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2022 THE DUTCH PAPERS AND GROUP SHOWS
Copies of the book “Caro Hans...”. Il carteggio con Hans Sonnenberg (1958-1963)
The year continued with the participation in several group shows, while the book “Caro Hans...”. Il carteggio con Hans Sonnenberg (1958-1963) was published.
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2022 FURTHER INITIATIVES FOR THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF MERDA D’ARTISTA (ARTIST’S SHIT)
Pierluigi Cicchetti and Riccardo Livermore on stage, Teatro di Documenti, Rome, February 2022
The events organized to mark the anniversary of Merda d’artista (Artist’s Shit) continued with the making of three videos (YouTube channel) and a theatrical performance dedicated to the legendary can.
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2021 NEW INTERNET SITES AND THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF MERDA D’ARTISTA (ARTIST’S SHIT)
The new website devoted to the Merda d’artista (Artist’s Shit)
The year opened with the Piero Manzoni Foundation’s new and completely revolutionised website, enriched with new contents.
In May a second site was created Merdadartista.org along with a YouTube channel dedicated exclusively to the Merda d’artista (Artist’s Shit). They were launched to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of Manzoni’s iconic work.
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2020 AN INCREASINGLY “SOCIAL” FOUNDATION AND THE KIDLAB
Works created during a KidLab, Milan, 2020
An Instagram profile was created for the Fondazione Piero Manzoni and the Kidlab workshop for children was born.
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2020 NEW CONTRIBUTIONS
Covers of the book L’Economia del carnefice
The Royal Society of Chemistry edited a scientific publication with a text on the works of Piero Manzoni and for the first time an early piece written by the artist was published.
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2020 MANZONI IN JAPAN AND AT THE QUIRINALE
View of the exhibition Piero Manzoni in Japan: First step, ShugoArts - シュウゴア-ツ, Tokyo, 2020 (photo © Shigeo-Muto, Courtesy ShugoArts - シュウゴア-ツ)
This is the year in which Piero Manzoni landed in Japan with a solo show.
An agreement was also reached for a multi-year loan to the Quirinale.
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2019 PUBLICATIONS ABOUT PIERO IN ENGLISH AND AN EXHIBITION IN HOLLAND
Poster for the exhibition Manzoni in Holland, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, 2019
During the year a further two books were published that marked an important step in the international promotion of Piero Manzoni, while the Schiedam Museum hosted the exhibition Manzoni in Holland.
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2019 SOLO SHOWS AT HAUSER & WIRTH IN THE UNITED STATES
View of the exhibition Piero Manzoni. Materials of His Time, Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles, 2019 (photo © Mario de Lopez, Courtesy Hauser & Wirth and Piero Manzoni Foundation)
Two major exhibitions curated by Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo were organized in Hauser & Wirth’s US galleries: Piero Manzoni. Materials of his time and Piero Manzoni. Lines.
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2018 EXHIBITION IN FLORENCE AND COLLABORATION WITH THE BECCARIA HIGH SCHOOL
Cover of the exhibition catalogue Solo. Piero Manzoni, Museo del 900, Florence, 2018
The Foundation collaborated with the Beccaria High School in Milan on a curricula project involving students from the second and third years.
A solo show was held at the Museo del 900 in Florence.
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2018 RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FILM “LE LUNGHE LINEE” (THE LONG LINES)
Screening of the film Le Lunghe Linee (The Long Lines)
The soundtrack of a film featuring Piero Manzoni and Uliano Lucas was reconstructed.
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2017 DESTRUCTION OF A LARGE BATCH OF FAKES AND PUBLICATION OF NEW BOOKS
Destruction of a fake Achrome
2017 also saw the destruction of 39 works declared to be fakes, inherited by Graziano Zecchillo, son of the baritone Giuseppe Zecchillo, while scholarly research regarding Piero Manzoni continued with the publication of new books.
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2017 THE ARRIVAL OF IRENE, COLLABORATION WITH HAUSER & WIRTH
Web announcement of the new Worldwide Representation Agreement with Hauser & Wirth
2017 was an important year: the Fondazione signs a new worldwide representation agreement with Hauser & Wirth, the gallery that “reaches beyond the confines of the art world”, led by Marc Payot and Iwan and Manuela Wirth.
Irene began working with the Foundation.
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2016 UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE
Invitation to the conference Archivi d’artista e lasciti: memorie culturali tra diritto e mercato (Artist’s Archives and Estates: Cultural Memories between Law and Market), Milan, 2016
The Foundation’s director Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo participated in a conference on artists’ archives.
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2016 MAJOR EXHIBITION IN LAUSANNE
View of the exhibition Achrome. Piero Manzoni, la peinture sans couleur, Lausanne, 2016 (photo © Nora Rupp, Courtesy Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne)
A major solo show is staged at the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne, while in London a gallery devotes a specific project to Piero.
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2015 DEVOUR ART, FACEBOOK AND SONCINO
Copy of the Base magica - Scultura vivente (Magic Base - Living Sculpture) in Piazza Piero Manzoni in Soncino
Another book was published in the ‘Pesci Rossi’ series and Soncino, Piero’s birthplace, installed a sculpture in the piazza dedicated to him.
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2015 FIRST SOLO SHOW IN BRAZIL AND GROUP SHOW ABOUT AZIMUT|H IN VENICE
Exhibition flyer for Piero Manzoni, MAM Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2015
Piero Manzoni “landed” in Brazil for the first time while a major exhibition dedicated to Azimut|h was organized in Venice.
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2014 PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES, CONFERENCE AND A NEW AUCTION RECORD
Books published in collaboration with the Piero Manzoni Foundation, 2014
In November the Foundation organized a conference at Palazzo Reale. The intensive publishing activity continued with four new books about the artist.
The auction record of the previous year was beaten by another mind-blowing figure.
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2014 SOLO SHOW AT PALAZZO REALE AND EXPO
View of the exhibition Piero Manzoni 1933-1963, Palazzo Reale, Milan, 2014
Various events took place that involved Piero Manzoni in Italy, in particular the solo show at Palazzo Reale in Milan early in the year and the Foundation’s participation in Expo.
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2013 NEW PUBLICATIONS AND AUCTION RECORD
Books published in collaboration with the Piero Manzoni Foundation, 2013
During the course of the year four books were published in collaboration with the Manzoni Foundation, two of which by Electa in its ‘Pesci Rossi’ series.
An Achrome was sold at auction for an exceptional figure.
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2013-2014 THE DOCUMENTARY ABOUT MANZONI
DVD of the documentary Piero Manzoni, artista (Piero Manzoni, Artist) by Andrea Bettinetti, 2013
The director Andrea Bettinetti made the documentary Piero Manzoni, artista (Piero Manzoni, Artist), produced by Good Day Film and Sky Arte.
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2013 MARKING PIERO’S ANNIVERSARIES
Invitation and photos of the dinner Bianco Mangiare (Eating White), Open Care / Frigoriferi Milanesi, Milan, February 6, 2013
Marking the 80th anniversary of the birth of Piero Manzoni and the 50th anniversary of his death, the Foundation celebrated the artist by collaborating on a new museum exhibition, creating a limited edition gadget and organizing a special evening with a gastronomic tribute to Piero.
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2011-12 AGNESE ARRIVES, A NEW OFFICE AND AN EXHIBITION AT GAGOSIAN IN LONDON
Invitation to the exhibition Manzoni: Azimut, Gagosian London, London, 2011
Agnese Boschini joined the Fondazione team this year.
The office moved from Via Ranzoni in the Fiera area to a new home in the Bovisa district. The cultural promotion of the work of Piero Manzoni on an international level continued with the exhibition Manzoni: Azimut at Gagosian in London.
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2010 PIERO AT THE MUSEO DEL NOVECENTO AND LEGAL VICTORIES
Museo del Novecento, Milan
The eagerly awaited Museo del Novecento opened in Milan with a room dedicated to Piero Manzoni and Azimuth.
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The number of court cases finding in favour of the Foundation and judging the works in question to be fakes continued to increase. -
2009 THE ARRIVAL OF DANIELA AND THE RETROSPECTIVE IN NEW YORK
Poster for the exhibition Piero Manzoni: a Retrospective, Gagosian New York, New York, 2009
Daniela Migotto began working with the Foundation this year.
The Gagosian gallery organized a major retrospective in New York, 37 years on from the last solo show in the United States held by the Sonnabend Gallery.
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2008 COLLABORATION WITH GAGOSIAN
Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo and Valentina Castellani
A representation agreement was reached between the Gagosian Gallery and the Archivio Opera Piero Manzoni, with this last changing its legal status to become a non-profit foundation under the name Fondazione Piero Manzoni.
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2007 THE SOLO SHOW AT THE MADRE IN NAPLES
Cover of the exhibition catalogue Piero Manzoni, MADRE, Naples, 2007
A major Piero Manzoni’s retrospective at the MADRE – Museo di Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina opened on 19 May.
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2006 THREE IMPORTANT GROUP SHOWS
Invitation to the travelling exhibition Il Modo Italiano: Italian Arts & Design. The 20th Century, Montréal Museum of Fine Art, Montréal, 2006
Three important group shows were held during the course of the year, two touring (Montreal, Toronto, then Rovereto and Düsseldorf, then Saint-Etienne) and one in Lugano, all featuring numerous works by Piero Manzoni.
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2005 EXHIBITION AT THE TATE WITH BURRI AND FONTANA
Invitation and exhibition catalogue of Beyond Painting: Burri, Fontana, Manzoni, Tate Modern, London, 2005-06
Tate Modern in London devoted an exhibition to Piero Manzoni, Lucio Fontana and Alberto Burri that remained open for almost a year.
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2004 THIRD CATALOGUE
Cover of the box-set Piero Manzoni. Catalogo generale, edited by G. Celant, Skira, Geneva-Milan, 2004
Skira published the third catalogue of the work of Piero Manzoni.
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2000 ANOTHER SOLO SHOW IN MILAN
Cover of the exhibition catalogue Piero Manzoni. Consumazione dell’arte dinamica del pubblico divorare l’arte. Mostra dossier 8, Museo della Permanente, Milan, 2000
Giorgio Zanchetti curated the exhibition Piero Manzoni. Consumazione dell’arte / dinamica del pubblico / divorare l’arte at the Museo della Permanente.
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1997-1998 PIERO MANZONI IN MILAN AND LONDON
Flyer for the exhibition Piero Manzoni, Serpentine Gallery, London, 1998
Palazzo Reale hosted the exhibition Piero Manzoni. Milano et mitologia, while the following year another solo show was held at the Serpentine Gallery in London.
Work began on the new general catalogue edited by Germano Celant.
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1994 GROUP SHOW IN THE UNITED STATES, ITALY AND GERMANY
Cover of the travelling exhibition catalogue The Italian Metamorphosis, 1943-1968, Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1994
Piero Manzoni was one of the artists featured in the exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, The Italian Metamorphosis, 1943-1968.
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1992 BIRTH OF THE FOUNDATION
Maria Melania, Elena, Giacomo and Giuseppe Manzoni di Chiosca
In 1992, Piero Manzoni’s four siblings (Maria Melania, Elena, Giacomo and Giuseppe) founded the Archivio Opera Piero Manzoni, a non-profit association.
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1991 THE CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ
Cover of the first catalogue raisonné Piero Manzoni. Catalogue raisonné, Edizioni di Vanni Scheiwiller, Milan, 1991
The publisher Vanni Scheiwiller issued the first catalogue raisonné of the work of Piero Manzoni edited by Freddy Battino and Luca Palazzoli.
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1991 SOLO TRAVELLING SHOW IN PARIS, HERNING, MADRID AND RIVOLI
Cover of the travelling exhibition catalogue Piero Manzoni, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, 1991
A new solo show curated by Germano Celant was held in Paris before moving to Herning (Denmark), Madrid and Rivoli.
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1981-1991 NEW FORGERIES ON THE MARKET
Cover of the book Piero Manzoni, Associazione Amici di Piero Manzoni (Piero Manzoni’s friends Association), Milan
Partially as a consequence of the continued rise in the economic values of Manzoni’s work, the Eighties unfortunately saw a parallel growth in forgeries, a trend that had already been noted in the late Sixties.
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1977-1981 MANZONI AT THE POMPIDOU
Cover of the exhibition catalogue Identité italienne: l’art en Italie depuis 1959, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1981
Manzoni was among the artists featured in two group shows: at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Turin and at the Kunsthaus in Zürich. He participated in the group show Identité italienne: l’art en Italie depuis 1959, curated by Germano Celant at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
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1975 THE FIRST GENERAL CATALOGUE
Cover of Piero Manzoni. Catalogo Generale, edited by G. Celant, Prearo Editore, Milan, 1975
The first general catalogue of Piero Manzoni, edited by Germano Celant, was published by Prearo Editore.
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1974 AN ARTICLE ON THE ART MARKET
Article published in the newspaper Bresciaoggi, November, 9 1974
On 9 November 1974, the daily newspaper Bresciaoggi published the list drawn up in Germany of the world’s one hundred most important painters. Manzoni was the second Italian artist.
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1974 PIERO MANZONI AT THE TATE
Cover of the exhibition catalogue Piero Manzoni. Paintings, Reliefs & Objects, The TATE Gallery, London, 1974
London’s Tate Gallery hosted the exhibition Piero Manzoni. Paintings, Reliefs & Objects.
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1973 A SOLO SHOW IN GERMANY
Cover of the exhibition catalogue Piero Manzoni 1933-1963, Städtisches Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, 1973
Another solo show was held at the Kunsthalle Tübingen before moving to the Städtisches Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich.
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1972-1973 PIERO MANZONI IN THE UNITED STATES
Cover of the book Piero Manzoni, Sonnabend Gallery, New York, 1972
Manzoni’s first solo show in the United States was staged in New York, Houston, Seattle and Chicago.
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1972 WORK BEGAN ON THE CATALOGUE AND THE FIRST FAKE WORKS BEGAN TO CIRCULATE
Photos sent by collectors to be included in the catalogue
Work began on the first general catalogue edited by Germano Celant, in part as a response to the attempts to introduce the first fake works.
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1971 ROME AND CONTROVERSY
Merda d’artista n. 68 (Artist’s Shit No. 68), May 1961, tin can, printed paper, 5 × ∅ 6,5 cm
A major retrospective at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, strongly promoted by the director Palma Bucarelli, in collaboration with Germano Celant, triggered national controversy over the exhibition of the tins of Artist’s Shit.
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1971 SOLO SHOWS IN CREMA AND FERRARA
View of the exhibition Piero Manzoni, Museo di Crema, Crema, 1971
A solo show was organized in two Italian institutions, the Civic Museum of Crema and Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara.
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1970 THE “RICERCA CONTEMPORANEA” SERIES
Covers of the four books Ricerca Contemporanea (Contemporary Research), Editore Vanni Scheiwiller, 1970-75
The publisher Vanni Scheiwiller issued the series Ricerca Contemporanea (Contemporary Research) edited by Valeria Manzoni.
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1969-1970 A SOLO SHOW IN NORTHERN EUROPE
Cover of the exhibition catalogue Piero Manzoni, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1970
Over the course of these two years the first solo travelling show was held in international institutions in Eindhoven, Mönchengladbach, Hanover and Amsterdam.
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1968-1969 A DONATION TO THE GNAM
Achrome, 1961-62, fiberglass, 79 × 87 cm
At the request of Palma Bucarelli, between 1968 and 1969, Valeria Manzoni donated four Achromes to the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome.
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1967 CELANT AND MANZONI
Supplement to the gallery newsletter Notizie, Galleria Notizie, Turin, 1967
The publisher Vanni Scheiwiller issued a first monograph on Piero Manzoni edited by Uliano Lucas.
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The first essay in Italian on the artist by Germano Celant was published under the title “C’è solo da essere”. -
1964 THE FIRST EXHIBITIONS AFTER PIERO’S DEATH
Invitation to the exhibition Hommage à Piero Manzoni, Galerie Smith, Brussels, 1964
The artist’s first solo shows following his death were held in Brussels and Milan, while his work also featured in various group shows including Pittura a Milano dal 1945 al 1964 at Milan’s Palazzo Reale.
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