In 1957 Manzoni began making his Achromes series, works of art purged of color and characterized by unconventional surfaces that he referred to as "the living flesh." Manzoni encouraged interpretation of his work to focus on the physical matter of which it was made. In this work, one of dozens Manzoni created using white fiberglass wool, the artist modeled the work's surface into hairlike tufts and curls. Then, as he described, he "kept on going, making others of straw and plastic, and a series of paintings, which were all white."
Gallery label from 2008.
