In 2019, the artist Allan Wexler moved from the Manhattan brownstone where he had lived with his wife and collaborator, Ellen, for 40 years. While packing up, he uncovered a black bicycle among the detritus of a decades-long conceptual art and design practice.
At the time, Mr. Wexler, who is now 76, was researching a new version of “The Futurist Cookbook.” Published in 1932 by the Futurist Italian poet and theorist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, this collection of satirical recipes revolted against traditional Italian cuisine. It took dead aim, for instance, at pasta.
Marinetti’s book consisted of manifestoes and news articles he and others wrote tracking the campaign to revolutionize Italian dining at a time of rapid technological change.
