Vincenzo Agnetti's 'Obsoleto': A Conceptual Non-Novel Reissued

Vincenzo Agnetti's 1967 work 'Obsoleto' is not a conventional novel but a conceptual art piece that deconstructs language and meaning. Originally published by Vanni Scheiwiller, a new edition was released in 2017 by Cinquemarzo of Viareggio. Agnetti, a conceptual artist born in Milan in 1926 and died in 1981, used language as his primary material. The book's final pages become increasingly illegible as Agnetti physically filed down the lead type during printing. 'Obsoleto' inaugurated the Denarratori series, with a cover by Enrico Castellani. The work is closely linked to Agnetti's 1972 'Tesi' (first version 1968), both staging the death of meaning. Texts in 'Obsoleto' date back to 1963 when Agnetti lived in South America. The book challenges distinctions between writer, painter, sculptor, and critic, as noted by Germana Agnetti. Critic Achille Bonito Oliva described Agnetti's language as an oppositional gesture against a rigid reality. The work is associated with the Azimuth movement, which included Piero Manzoni. The article, by Marco Enrico Giacomelli, highlights Agnetti's legacy of considering alternative possibilities and expresses hope for another exhibition following a recent one at Palazzo Reale in Milan.