“This cabinet uses striking screen-printed lines to turn a functional piece of furniture into a captivating optical illusion, blurring the lines between art and everyday design.”
This cabinet, titled "Architettura," transforms a functional object into a canvas for a dynamic, abstract design. Its surface is covered with a screen-printed pattern of interlocking black and white lines, creating an optical illusion of depth and movement. The stark contrast and geometric precision evoke a sense of architectural blueprint or a labyrinthine cityscape, challenging the viewer's perception of a flat surface. Created in 1955, this piece emerged during a period of significant social and economic change in Italy, reflecting a broader artistic engagement with mass production and consumerism. It stands as an early example of an artist questioning the traditional boundaries of art, pushing beyond conventional painting and sculpture to integrate art into everyday objects.
- Artist
- Piero Manzoni
- Date
- 1955
- Medium
- Screen-printed wood and metal
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- 217.8 × 80 × 40.7 cm (85 3/4 × 31 1/2 × 16 in.)
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
Observe how the black and white lines create an illusion of three-dimensional space.
Notice the repeating, almost hypnotic pattern that covers every surface.
Look closely at the screen-printed texture on the wood.
See how the metal hardware contrasts with the graphic design.
Piero Manzoni
1933–1963 · ItalyPiero Manzoni challenged the very definition of art with audacious works like 'Artist's Shit,' turning everyday objects and even bodily functions into conceptual statements.
Further Works by Manzoni
More works to explore
Beyond Manzoni: works from the same years.
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Greyed Rainbow
Jackson Pollock · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Sun Spot
Yayoi Kusama · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Deux personnages
Pierre Alechinsky · 1950
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Essai
Sam Francis · 1963 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Alka Seltzer
Roy Lichtenstein · 1966 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Portrait of Mary Block
Ivan Puni · 1955 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Woman at the Piano
Philip Evergood · 1955 · Smithsonian American Art Museum
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Nighthawks
Okada Saburosuke · 1942 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Figure with Meat
Francis Bacon · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Portrait of Sylvette David
Pablo Picasso · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Flag
Jasper Johns · 1958
Same era · 1940s–1970s
The Banquet
René Magritte · 1958 · Art Institute of Chicago