Piero Manzoni
1933-1963 · Italian · Azimut, ZERO, Conceptual art
Biography
Piero Manzoni had a career of barely seven years, yet he became one of the key figures of European conceptual art. From 1957 he made the Achromes, colourless surfaces of kaolin-soaked canvas and later cotton wool, fibreglass, bread rolls and straw, which emptied painting of image and gesture. With Enrico Castellani he founded the Azimut gallery and review in Milan in 1959 and joined the ZERO network. His Lines, Bodies of Air, Magic Bases and the 1961 Merda d'artista cans pushed the idea of the artist's touch to its limit. He died at 29, so supply is finite. The market centres on canvas Achromes from 1958 to 1960, with the Fondazione Piero Manzoni's catalogue as the reference.
Recent auction results
| Achrome (1958)Sotheby's, Londra | $687K | Mar 4, 2026 | heni.com |
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Market
- Liquidity: Medium
Museums
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Tate Modern, Londra
- Museo del Novecento, Milano
- HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Danimarca
Sources
- Artlyst, Manzoni Highest Price Of Frieze Week
- Fondazione Piero Manzoni, asta record
- HENI News, Achrome marzo 2026
- HENI News, profilo Piero Manzoni
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