“Magazzino Italian Art announced that through the extraordinary generosity of Fondazione Piero Manzoni in Milan and Hauser & Wirth, it has received the gift of two room-size immersive environments conceived by Manzoni in 1961, at a date when conceptualism and installation art were only starting to appear on the art world’s horizon. Magazzino unveiled these exceptional gifts, accompanied by a contextual selection of works by Manzoni on loan from American collections, in the exhibition Piero Manzoni: Total Space, opening to the public on Monday, September 8, 2025.” — Magazzino Italian Art

Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu, co-founders of Magazzino, said, “We are grateful to the Fondazione Manzoni and Hauser & Wirth for entrusting these major gifts to Magazzino, where they can now be seen in the company of the museum’s extensive collection of Arte Povera. Through their generosity, the donors have recognized Magazzino as the primary institution in North America for collecting, exhibiting, and studying the cutting-edge Italian art of the postwar era.”

Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo, Director of Fondazione Piero Manzoni, said, “These visionary projects by Manzoni have only recently made the transition from pure idea to physical reality. Now that they have been achieved with the assistance of Hauser & Wirth, more than half a century after they were imagined, we are happy that the ideal permanent home for them is Magazzino Italian Art.”

Adam Sheffer, Director of Magazzino, said, “Despite his brief career, Piero Manzoni was among the most innovative, ironic and restlessly inventive young artists in Italy, if not the world. We are proud to exhibit the wonderful gift of these two environments in tandem with several of the Achrome works that preceded them, in which Manzoni broke with the tradition of painting in favor of an art of ‘total space’, where materials, form, and presence eclipse the superficial and open new conceptual dimensions.”

“Yoichi Ohira: Japan in Murano, a retrospective of the Japanese-born, Venice-based glass artist’s work in the United States. Curated by Nicola Lucchi, Magazzino’s Director of Research and Education, the exhibition traces the full scope of Yoichi Ohira’s (1946–2022) career in Murano, which spanned nearly 40 years, from his formative experiences at the Fucina degli Angeli glassworks, to his appointment as Artistic Director of the De Majo glassworks, and finally to his work as an independent artist and central figure in contemporary glass art.” — Magazzino Italian Art

Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu, co-founders of Magazzino Italian Art, said, “This rare presentation of Yoichi Ohira’s work will reaffirm his position as one of the preeminent artists of his generation. As a Japanese-born artist in Venice, Ohira brought a fresh perspective to the heritage of glassmaking in Murano, breathing new life into a venerable artform.”

Nicola Lucchi, Director of Research and Education, Magazzino Italian Art, said, “Yoichi Ohira’s work was marked by a particular sensitivity to the history of glassmaking in Murano. Of particular interest in this exhibition are studies on paper that Ohira shared with master glassmakers, illustrating the characteristics he sought to achieve in his work. These documents of thought and invention provide a rare opportunity to delve into the artistic process at the heart of Murano glassmaking.”

Adam Sheffer, Director of Magazzino Italian Art, said, “Yoichi Ohira: Japan in Murano is a testament to the broad scope of Magazzino Italian Art as the only institution in the United States dedicated to the art and culture of post-war Italy. On view concurrently with Piero Manzoni: Total Space, this presentation brings to our audiences a wide perspective on the rich history of this era and its artists.”

Title image: Photo by William Mulvihill. Courtesy Magazzino Italian Art.