Piero Manzoni

Giorgio Franchetti, Rome

Bruno Grossetti, Milan 

Giulio di Gropello, Rome

Sperone Westwater, New York

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2008

Valencia, Municipo Valencia, Pittori italiani dal 1950-86, 1986, p. 50, illustrated

Rio de Janeiro, Museu Naciona de Belas Artes e Funarte, Aspetti della Pittura Italiana dal Secondo Dopoguerra a Oggi, 1989

Freddy Battino and Luca Palazzoli, Eds., Piero Manzoni Catalogo Ragionato, Milan 1991, p. 341, no. 604, illustrated

Germano Celant, Piero Manzoni Catalogo Generale, Vol. I, Milan 2004, p. 278, illustrated in colour, and Vol. II, Milan 2004, p. 520, no. 867 

Colour: The colour in the catalogue illustration is fairly accurate, although the illustration fails to fully convey the delicate texture of the felt and the central seam apparent in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are a few minor unobtrusive nicks and abrasions to the original artist's frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Executed in 1960-61, Achrome is a delicate example of the eponymously named series by Piero Manzoni. Produced just two years before the artist’s untimely death, Achrome resonates beyond its frame in a noble manner. The artist once wrote, “You can’t take off from the ground simply by running and jumping:  you need wings”, and with its rejection of earthly signifiers and constraints, Achrome perfectly realises this ambition (Piero Manzoni, ‘Free Dimension’ (1960) in: Exhibition Catalogue, Serpentine Gallery, Piero Manzoni, 1998, p. 130). Its surface is hopeful, clear and unrestricted, vibrating with potential, beyond material concerns and unburdened by the trace and trauma of recent history. First owned by the Italian dealer Giorgio Franchetti, Achrome is a shining testament to Manzoni’s influence on the vocabulary of contemporary art.

To quote Germano Celant, Manzoni’s dignified, clean white surface seeks to “invent its own laws and creates fluidity of thought. It unravels and rewinds” (Germano Celant, ‘Piero Manzoni: The Body Infinite’ in: ibid., p. 28). In the present work, the spotless texture of felt pulsates, absorbing the meticulous ambitions and drive of the artist. Unlike other pieces from the Achrome series – which similarly explore the possibilities and limitations of the picture plane and make use of cotton wool, kaolin, rabbit fur, folded fabrics and later gravel and bread rolls – this piece arguably delivers the most textural simplicity and undisturbed clarity of the series. In Achrome, there is a conversation between the artwork and its viewer on a zero ground as Manzoni similarly hopes to achieve "a point where individual mythology and universal mythology are identical" (Piero Manzoni, ‘For the Discovery of a Zone of Images’ (circa 1957) cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, London, Tate Gallery, Piero Manzoni: Paintings, Reliefs and Objects, 1974, p. 17). The exclusion of all external references becomes ultimately inclusive in its simplicity and potential. Imbued with the urge to realise a new creative vision, Manzoni pushed his artistic practice towards the discovery of an infinite surface, devoid of colour and line. The end point is not to eliminate the trace of humanity but to find it, not to hide but to uncover the primary metaphysical myths, and in so doing Manzoni's art imparts more than a fleeting reference to Piet Mondrian’s ‘pure painting’ in which line, form and colour were employed in only their most irreducible forms. Furthermore, where Kazimir Malevich aspired for suprematism through the basic elements of colour and form alone, Manzoni takes up this mantel, revitalising the artistic dialogue initiated with Malevich's Suprematist Composition, White on White (1918).

In its openness and monochromatic nature the impact of Manzoni’s contemporaries is apparent. Where in America Robert Ryman was concurrently exploring the minimal potential of white paint on canvas, it was the influence of Yves Klein that resonated most profoundly with Manzoni. In particular, Klein's revolutionary exhibition Epoca Blu at the Galleria Apollinaire in Milan in January 1957 had a monumental impact on the artist, as is clear to see in Achrome. Perhaps the most enduring influence of all is Lucio Fontana, whom Manzoni encountered frequently at Albisola Marina in his formative years. From this significant teacher Manzoni learnt a “lesson on an attitude towards life, the will, the force to turn art into freedom of invention” the outcome of which can clearly be seen here (Piero Manzoni, 'Da Milano', Il Pensiero Nazionale, Vol. 13, No. 21, 1 November 1959, p. 40). Moving away from Fontana’s Spatialism, however, which encouraged meditation on dimensions beyond the canvas through slits and holes, Manzoni’s piece is autonomous and pure, complete in and of itself.

This important work succeeds in the artist's aim to produce "images which are as absolute as possible, which cannot be valued for that which they record, explain and express, but only for that which they are: to be" (Piero Manzoni, ‘For the Discovery of a Zone of Images’ (circa 1957) in: op. cit., 1974, p. 17). Achrome lives on independently, as he wished, producing a light all of its own, at once still with lucidity and alive with possibility.