Many a Truth is Told in Jest

Piero Manzoni, who became famous in Italy before his death in 1963 at age 29, challenged conceptions of art as Marshall Plan funds flowed in after World War II and his nation shifted from agrarian to industrial.

He also lampooned celebrity and consumer culture, worked with non-traditional materials and believed that the creator alone determined what is art.

As chronicled in a video on display at a new exhibit, Total Space, at Magazzino Italian Art in Philipstown, Manzoni dipped his thumb in ink, imprinted hard-boiled eggs and placed them in small boxes. He blew up balloons for his Artist’s Breath series but really grabbed attention with 90 tins of Artist’s Shit. No one knows what’s inside the cans; even before Warhol, Manzoni made a bold statement about the art world and its pretenses.