Installation by artist Maurizio Cattelan at the New Museum
The first time I saw the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, it was in the form of a taxidermied horse that was mounted several feet above my head on the wall of the New Museum. Cattelan is notorious for his controversial sculptures and often sprinkles them with strong doses of religious sarcasm and political irony. If the art world handed out superlatives, he would surely be a contender for the title of class clown. Par Peur de l’Amour depicts a sculpture of an elephant dressed as a Klansman, and Him is a miniature sculpture of Hitler shown on his knees in prayer. La Nona Ora (“The Ninth Hour”) depicts Pope John Paul II being hit by a meteorite.
