Maurizio Cattelan

Senza titolo (Untitled), 1998

Novecento (1900) , 1997

Charlie don't surf, 1997

Il Bel Paese
(The Beautiful Country), 1994

A Perfect Day, 1999

 

Born in Padua in 1960, Maurizio Cattelan worked in the design field before becoming involved in the visual arts at the end of the 1980s. Most of his work refers back to the social dynamic from which it is drawn.

Two 1994 sculptures are particularly significant in this respect, as they were made of the debris left by a terrorist bombing of the Pavilion of Contemporary Art in Milan.

Cattelan also ironically emphasizes the privileged role artists enjoy. At one of his exhibitions, upon entering a gallery the public found the entrance walled off with bricks-one could view the show only by looking through the windows. On another occasion, gallery workers donned carnival costumes for the entire duration of the show.