16/04/2026
Abbiamo deciso di dedicare 10 post alle scatolette di M***a d’artista presenti in
musei e istituzioni, raccontandovi come ci sono arrivate…
La Staatsgalerie Stuttgart possiede la M***a d’artista n. 27, acquistata in un pacchetto di 7 lavori di Manzoni provenienti da una collezione privata, che includeva anche un rotolo di carta igienica (un particolare Achrome). L’acquisto era stato pensato come integrazione del nucleo rappresentato in museo dal deposito della collezione dell’Archiv Sohm, che raccoglieva sostanzialmente lavori Fluxus, oltre a un vasto archivio dedicato anche agli happening e ai libri d’artista: una perfetta analogia con le opere di Manzoni sul corpo e sull’autorialità. Dopo molti anni di assimilazione della M***a al mondo Fluxus, si avvia finalmente un cambio di rotta, definitivamente sancito dall’entrata di una seconda M***a, la n. 46. L’opera è stata concessa in prestito permanente nel 2020 dall’Adriani Foundation, istituita dallo stesso Götz Adriani, storico dell’arte, già direttore della Kunsthalle Tübingen, il quale nutre un interesse per Manzoni già dagli anni ‘70, quando decise di comprarla dalla galleria di Reinhard Onnasch.
We decided to devote 10 posts to the Artist’s S**t cans in museums and institutions, telling you how they got there…
The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart owns the Artist’s S**t No. 27, acquired as part of a group of seven works by Piero Manzoni from a private collection, which also included a roll of toilet paper (a particular Achrome). The purchase was conceived as an addition to the core holdings represented in the museum by the deposit of the Archiv Sohm collection, which essentially comprised Fluxus works, along with an extensive archive also dedicated to happenings and artists’ books—forming a perfect parallel with Manzoni’s works on the body and authorship.
After many years during which Artist’s S**t was associated with the Fluxus context, a change of direction has finally begun, definitively marked by the acquisition of a second Artist’s S**t, No. 46. The work was granted on permanent loan in 2020 by the Adriani Foundation, established by Götz Adriani, an art historian and former director of the Kunsthalle Tübingen, who has been interested in Manzoni since the 1970s, when he decided to purchase the work from the gallery of Reinhard Onnasch.
We decided to devote 10 posts to the Artist’s S**t cans in museums and institutions, telling you how they got there…
The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart owns the Artist’s S**t No. 27, acquired as part of a group of seven works by Piero Manzoni from a private collection, which also included a roll of toilet paper (a particular Achrome). The purchase was conceived as an addition to the core holdings represented in the museum by the deposit of the Archiv Sohm collection, which essentially comprised Fluxus works, along with an extensive archive also dedicated to happenings and artists’ books—forming a perfect parallel with Manzoni’s works on the body and authorship.
After many years during which Artist’s S**t was associated with the Fluxus context, a change of direction has finally begun, definitively marked by the acquisition of a second Artist’s S**t, No. 46. The work was granted on permanent loan in 2020 by the Adriani Foundation, established by Götz Adriani, an art historian and former director of the Kunsthalle Tübingen, who has been interested in Manzoni since the 1970s, when he decided to purchase the work from the gallery of Reinhard Onnasch.
Achrome, 1961, rotolo di carta igienica/toilet roll, 11 × ø 9 cm
M***a d’artista n. 27 | n. 46, 1961, scatoletta di latta, carta stampata/tin can, printed paper, 5 × ø 6,5 cm
Photo: Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Archiv Sohm ©️ Stattasgalerie Stuttgart
