Art Brut Wooden Sculpture by Egidio Cuniberti (1928–2006) - 62¼"

This mid-20th century sculpture by Italian Art Brut  (Outsider Art) artist Egidio Cuniberti (1928–2006) depicts a classical bouquet arranged in an urn set upon a pedestal. The entire composition is constructed from hundreds of hand-cut wooden ice-cream sticks and small wooden tassels, notched and stacked in dense layers to form the stepped base, fluted shaft, and elaborate bouquet. The subject is traditional: a bouquet in a vase on a pedestal, a motif long associated with bourgeois decorative taste.

Cuniberti reinterprets this familiar image using discarded materials collected in the streets of his native Mondovì, assembling them through meticulous repetition and patient handwork. After illness forced him to stop working in 1971, he began creating sculptures and furniture from found objects, most characteristically ice-cream sticks and plastic spoons. His practice is documented in a dedicated monograph, and examples are held in museums devoted to Art Brut and in respected private collections, affirming the potency of his vision and patient craft. Art historians describe his work as a “marvelous complication,” where simple elements are obsessively repeated and recomposed into elaborate forms that balance fragility and monumentality. 

A striking blend of classical imagery and outsider ingenuity, this sculpture reimagines the traditional bouquet-in-urn motif through meticulous hand construction with humble materials. The contrast between the classical composition and the humble material gives the piece both visual humor and sculptural tension. Its dense layering creates a richly textured surface that draws the eye and invites close inspection. Both playful and architectural, it makes a compelling focal point in any room, while offering collectors a distinctive example of Cuniberti’s highly recognizable Art Brut language.