in collaboration with the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation

Homage to the Square

A porcelain surface collection developed with the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation—translating one of the most influential studies of colour into architectural surfaces.

Study for Homage to the Square: Amplified, 1957 Oil on Masonite 24 9/16 x 24 1/2 in. (62.4 x 62.2 cm)

A study in colour, perception, and form

Emerging from the dialogue between Mutina and the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, Homage to the Square revisits one of the most iconic investigations of twentieth-century art. Rooted in experimentation, the collection reflects a shared inquiry into how colour, form, and spatial relationships shape perception.

For Albers, colour never exists in isolation, but it is continually influenced by its surroundings. As he observed, “In mathematics, one plus one plus one equals three, but in art it equals three or more,” revealing how visual relationships create effects beyond their individual elements.

BEGIN YOUR PROJECT

Homage to the Square porcelain tile collection square format color palette Mutina

Peach square porcelain wall tile glossy grid pattern modern interior surface design

Colour is never absolute

A foundational principle of Josef Albers’ work, expressed through porcelain surfaces that shift with light, adjacency, and spatial context.

The work Homage to the Square explores a fundamental principle: colour is relational, not fixed. It shifts, responds, and transforms depending on its environment, creating subtle variations in depth, rhythm, and visual experience.

“Every perception of colour is an illusion. We do not see colours as they really are. In our perception they alter one another.”‍ ‍
— josef Albers

EXPLORE THE COLLECTION IN DETAIl

Chocolate square porcelain wall tile fireplace surround geometric grid pattern modern interior

Homage to the Square painting nested squares with warm color gradient Josef Albers

Josef Albers abstract square painting with subtle tonal color transitions

Modernist square painting by Josef Albers exploring depth through color relationships

Josef Albers geometric artwork nested squares creating optical color interaction

Josef Albers square composition artwork exploring color interaction and perception

Josef Albers Homage to the Square geometric painting with layered color squares

Homage to the Square porcelain tile color composition Josef Albers inspired square patterns

A modular design approach translating Josef Albers’ compositional framework into architectural tile applications

As in the work of Josef Albers, the square becomes more than a compositional element. It is a structure through which perception is explored. Its apparent neutrality allows colour and material to take precedence, creating surfaces that shift with light, adjacency, and spatial context. The simplicity of the square allows the design work to be "done" by the colours.

EXPLORE THE COLLECTION IN DETAIL

BEGIN YOUR PROJECT