Maurizio Cattelan is a contemporary Italian conceptual artist. Cattelan is best known for his dark humour and his realistic sculpture where he frequently depicts celebrities, art historical figures, or taxidermy animals in comically absurd scenes. The artist takes inspiration from the Dadaist and Surrealist movements to create his biting and surreal satire.

Cattelan has shown his work internationally through his participation in exhibitions at the Skulptur Projekte in Münster, the Tate Gallery in London, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne; he has also participated in the Venice Biennale several times. Cattelan was a finalist for the Guggenheim’s Hugo Boss prize in 2000, and, in 2004, he was awarded the Arnold- Bode Prize.

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