Maurizio Cattelan

MAURIZIO CATTELAN (Padua, Italy, 1960).
"Comedian".
Inflatable poster.
Unknown edition.
Measurements: 33,5 x 35,5 cm.

Inflatable poster based on the conceptual artwork "Comedian" (2019) by Maurizio Cattelan. The famous banana taped to a wall was first exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, generating great controversy and going viral. Cattelan described it as a "heartfelt commentary and reflection on what we value," while others interpreted it as a symbol of absurdity in the contemporary art market.

Since the mid-1980s, Maurizio Cattelan has enjoyed international recognition for humorous and ironic works in which he reflects on the problematic nature of the relationship between art and life. In his provocative and disturbing artistic productions, he adopts semantic twists that derive from imaginative play with materials, objects and actions.

Maurizio Cattelan's work has been shown in a large number of exhibitions at home and abroad. Recent solo exhibitions include The Menil Collection, Houston, 2010; DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art, Athens, 2010; Kunsthaus Bregenz, 2008; Tate Modern, London, 2007; and Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, 2007. In 2006 Cattelan was co-curator of the 4th Berlin Biennale. In 2009 he was awarded the Quadriennale Prize in Rome. Previously, in 2005, he received the Arnold-Bode Prize from the Kunstverein Kassel.