Homage to the Square by Albers Foundation

The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation is the institution dedicated to preserving and promoting the artistic legacy of two central figures of twentieth-century modernism—pioneers in the exploration of colour, form and perception. Mutina reinterprets this theory, transforming porcelain surfaces into dynamic fields of chromatic interaction. The collection draws inspiration from the hues of the celebrated Homage to the Square series—tones that shift and transform with light, compositional rhythm and context.

More than a surface collection, Homage to the Square is a contemporary tribute to one of the most brilliant minds of visual modernism—as well as an invitation to rediscover, through ceramics, the art of balance between form and perception.

Sustainability

Homage to the Square respects the environment and it doesn’t contain V.O.C.

Homage to the Square by Albers Foundation

The production of the collection is the result of Mutina’s know-how, combining artisanal ceramic expertise with state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies.

Un’estensiva ricerca sul colore

Homage to the Square is developed through a palette of seven tones drawn from Josef Albers’s paintings and his exploration of chromatic interaction. Each shade has been calibrated to evoke a comparable sense of visual vibration and intensity, reflecting both Albers’s research and Mutina’s distinctive know-how. This result is achieved through extensive experimentation with glazes, pigments and ceramic processes, aimed at generating different tonal values within a single surface while preserving consistency in saturation and definition.

The square format

As in Josef Albers’s work, the square is not simply a compositional element, but a framework through which perception is explored. Its apparent neutrality becomes the ground for subtle variations, where colour and material continuously reshape the viewer’s experience. Within Mutina’s design language, the square format acts as a stable yet flexible structure in which form, colour, and material exist in dynamic relation.

The surface takes shape through a sequence of steps that draw on the most established techniques of ceramic tradition, reinterpreted with a contemporary sensibility. Washes, overlays, and glaze applications build distinct yet perfectly integrated chromatic layers, where different finishes—matte and glossy—emerge through precise control of the material and its reactions.

The collection

The individual elements, measuring 15×15 cm, are made of unrectified porcelain stoneware (retaining the natural variations of the firing process) and feature two main patterns (Dash and Dot), both structured around the repetition (and variation) of the square module.

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Homage to the Square is available in a palette of seven tones—Sea, Evergreen, Chocolate, Ice, Citron, Sage and Peach—inspired by Josef Albers’s paintings and his studies on chromatic interactions. Each shade has been selected to evoke the same visual vibration and emotional intensity that characterise the artist’s work.

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