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Works

A selection of the best-known works from the TAPPOST project, together with the exhibitions and the murals. What critics and curators say is on the Press page; the full catalogue, with works in progress and commissions, is on Instagram.

Selected works

Sophia Loren: mosaic portrait made of 899 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia (2016)

Sophia Loren

9 m² and 15,600 caps for the face of the project’s muse-actress, in the first restaurant dedicated to her in Florence. First version: 899 caps, 2016.

Totò: mosaic portrait made of 1,482 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia (2016)

Totò

1,482 caps, 2016. The work I care about most, at the heart of the «Totò/TAPPOST» exhibition for the fiftieth anniversary of Antonio de Curtis’s death.

Cubo: sculpture of crown caps balanced on a lava stone, by Luigi Masecchia

Cubo

A cube of caps that seems about to open, balanced on a piece of lava stone: the project’s series of sculptures.

The Mona Lisa reimagined with crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia

Icone pop

Marilyn, Frida Kahlo, Dalí, the Mona Lisa, Warhol’s Campbell’s can, Coca-Cola, Marlboro, Super Santos, Spider, Flash, the Rolling Stones tongue.

US flag made of crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia

I Love Napoli and the flags

Participatory works and collective symbols: the US flag, and «I Love Napoli» built with caps collected by citizens and auctioned for the Santobono hospital (2023).

Rubiko: abstract composition of 1,732 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia

Abstract series

Onda, Rubiko, Esploso, Frigo, Trama: non-figurative compositions where only colour, rhythm and surface matter.

Gallery

Works from the TAPPOST project. Where available, the number of caps used is shown; the up-to-date catalogue is on Instagram.

Sophia Loren: mosaic portrait made of 899 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia (2016)
Sophia Loren · 899 caps (2016)
Totò: mosaic portrait made of 1,482 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia (2016)
Totò · 1,482 caps (2016)
Marilyn: mosaic portrait made of 841 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
Marilyn · 841 caps
Frida Kahlo: artwork by Luigi Masecchia made of crown caps
Frida Kahlo
Dalí: artwork by Luigi Masecchia made of crown caps
Dalí
The Mona Lisa reimagined with crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
Mona Lisa
Warhol's Campbell's can reimagined with 3,152 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
Campbell’s · 3,152 caps
Coca-Cola: artwork by Luigi Masecchia made of crown caps
Coca-Cola
Flash: artwork by Luigi Masecchia made of crown caps
Flash
Spider: artwork by Luigi Masecchia made of crown caps
Spider
Super Santos: artwork by Luigi Masecchia made of crown caps
Super Santos
The Rolling Stones tongue made of crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
Rolling Stones
Marlboro: artwork by Luigi Masecchia made of crown caps
Marlboro
US flag made of crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
US flag
Rubiko: abstract composition of 1,732 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
Rubiko · 1,732 caps
Esploso: abstract composition of 1,746 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
Esploso · 1,746 caps
Onda: abstract composition of 2,088 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
Onda · 2,088 caps
Trama: abstract composition of 1,225 crown caps, by Luigi Masecchia
Trama · 1,225 caps
Red horn: artwork by Luigi Masecchia made of crown caps
Red horn
Cubo: sculpture of crown caps balanced on a lava stone, by Luigi Masecchia
Cubo

The full catalogue is on Instagram

Portraits, pop icons, commissions and works in progress. Updated every week.

Exhibitions

A selection of the TAPPOST project’s exhibitions.

2014

«TAPPOST» — Castel dell’Ovo, Naples

First major solo show: over 150,000 steel caps on display, free entry, supported by RICREA (the Italian national steel-recycling consortium). A year earlier, the first opening at Palazzo Serra di Cassano.

2017

«Totò/TAPPOST» — Renaissance Naples Hotel Mediterraneo

Ten works for the fiftieth anniversary of Totò’s death, among the official events of the City of Naples.

2022–2023

«I Love Napoli» — a participatory work

Caps collected by citizens at three points in the city (Santobono Hospital, MANN Museum, Naples Airport) and auctioned in January 2023 in aid of the children’s hospital.

2025

«10,381 Caps on Show» — Fondazione Serena Messanelli Zweig, Capri

Curated by Massimo Esposito and Bruno Flavio: about ten works — Totò, Pino Daniele, Maradona, Marilyn — plus a new piece dedicated to the island. Under the patronage of the City of Capri.

Works from the project have also been shown in Florence, Palermo, Salerno and Barcelona, and live in homes and venues in Paris, London, Barcelona and Moscow.

Murals

The world’s first murals made entirely of crown caps. They began as a regeneration project for the Soccavo district of Naples: eight murals planned, the first already completed on Via Piave, the second dedicated to Sophia Loren.

The subjects are faces of popular culture — Sophia Loren, Totò, Pino Daniele, Lucio Dalla — built cap by cap directly on the wall, weatherproof and without paint.

Bottle-cap mosaic
Black-and-white portrait of Luigi Masecchia, with crown caps flying around the face

Commissions

A face, a logo, a memory: give me a reference image and I turn it into caps. Size and timing are agreed together, starting from the space where the work will live.