Him, We & Mini-Me – Maurizio Cattelan

Italian contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan is bringing his satirical sculpture to New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in his first retrospective exhibition entitled All (opens 4 November). His works, humorous in their visual immediacy, have often dark, provocative undertones to them as they take a stab at religion, society, political and popular culture. Humour, wit and jest collide with contemporary satire in an oeuvre which is clearly commenting upon organised social structures such as religion, asking us to think and question the accepted values that shape society.

Maurizio Cattelan, La Rivoluzione Siamo Noi (We are the Revolution) (2000), polyester resin, wax, pigment, felt suit and metal coat rack

Maurizio Cattelan, La Nona Ora (The Ninth Hour) (1999), polyester resin, wax, pigment, human hair, fabric, clothing, accessories, stone, glass and carpet

The retrospective will include around 130 works spanning a career from the late 1980s to the present day, including the infamous La Nona Ora (The Ninth Hour, above), a sculpture in which the Pope is being struck down by a meteorite, perhaps by chance, perhaps by divine intervention.

Maurizio Cattelan, Novecento (1997), taxidermied horse, leather saddle, rope and pulley

Maurizio Cattelan, L.O.V.E. (2010), carrara marble

Maurizio Cattelan, Untitled (2001), wax, pigment, human hair, fabric and polyester resin

‘Working in a vein that can be described as hyperrealist, Cattelan creates unsettlingly veristic sculptures and installations that reveal contradictions at the core of modern-day society,’ states the Guggenheim. ‘For this survey exhibition, Cattelan will create a dramatic site-specific installation in the Guggenheim rotunda designed to encapsulate his complete production to date.’

Definitely on my to-see list.