Giovanni Contardi - Rubik's Cube Mosaic - 'Small Reclining Nude (After

Artist: Giovanni Contardi Title: Small Reclining Nude (After Matisse) Year: 2026 Medium: Rubik’s Cube mosaic (wall sculpture) Materials: 48 original Rubik’s Cubes, MDF panel, archival industrial adhesive Dimensions: 34.3 × 45.8 × 7.8 cm. Edition: Unique work Signature: Hand-signed on the reverse. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity with archival hologram. Ready to hang. Professionally packed for shipping. ‘Small Reclining Nude (After Matisse)’ is a unique wall sculpture made from original Rubik’s Cubes, mounted on an MDF panel. Developed after Henri Matisse’s Large Reclining Nude (1935), the work translates the fluidity of the original figure into the rigid modular structure of the Rubik’s Cube grid. The composition reduces the reclining figure and its surrounding space to a limited arrangement of colour and form, using the restricted palette of the original cubes to create a more condensed and graphic interpretation. The simplicity of the construction allows the original composition to remain recognisable while giving the work a distinct visual identity shaped by the material itself. Viewed from the side, the adjacent faces of the cubes reveal a more fragmented chromatic structure, extending the composition beyond the frontal surface and emphasizing its sculptural nature. Each work is made from original Rubik’s Cubes that are physically handled, twisted, tested, and arranged by hand throughout the development of the composition. For this reason, close inspection may reveal small scratches, surface marks, or minor variations on individual cubes. These characteristics are part of the physical nature of the work and reflect the manual process through which each composition is developed and assembled. Giovanni Contardi is an Italian artist internationally recognised for his mosaics created entirely from original Rubik’s Cubes. His installations are permanently exhibited at the Rossini National Museum in Italy and at Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel at Disneyland Paris. His work was also mentioned by Ernő Rubik, inventor of the Rubik’s Cube, in his autobiographical book Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All (2020). Selected works, installations, and process documentation are shared on Instagram under the name JVENB.

Estimate:£2,502.84

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