Pianos are visually tedious. Over the past two centuries they have been five cubic metre black monoliths, says self-critical Arnaud Marion, artistic director at Pleyel, now the oldest piano manufacturer in the world. It is Pleyel, in fact, that aims to break the black monotony. In the 19th century it painted them in the Barbizon style, and now collaborates with the Galerie Maeght in selecting contemporary artists to paint pianos. Besides with artists, Pleyel also collaborates with designers. In 2011 Peugeot approached the company with an offer to jointly design a top-end piano.