Maurizio Cattelan and the work series that reshaped satire

From the AD HOC NEWS Art Desk » Work Series & Retrospective Desk - The editors cover exhibitions, auctions, collections, prizes and artistic positions. Published: July 4, 2026 · Last checked: July 4, 2026, 10:04 PM

Maurizio Cattelan is one of the most influential figures in contemporary sculpture and installation, known for works that balance slapstick humor with pointed institutional critique. His long-running work series across three decades have become reference points for how satire operates in museums and public debates.

Series that defined Cattelan's practice

Cattelan’s practice is structured less around isolated works than around recurring motifs that reappear in different settings and scales. Among these, the hyper-real bodies, the use of taxidermy, and the re-staging of historical and religious imagery form three decisive strands.

One of the most discussed figures throughout his series is the small, kneeling boy presented as a vision of Adolf Hitler, as seen in Him. The work’s configuration in domestic or institutional spaces pushes viewers to confront how representation and memory intertwine when a perpetrator is rendered vulnerable and childlike.

Animals, bodies and staged cruelty

A second major work group uses animals and taxidermy to stage blunt allegories of power, fragility and absurdity. In The Ninth Hour, a life-size Pope John Paul II lies under a meteorite, encapsulating a direct collision between spiritual authority and an indifferent universe.

Cattelan’s hanging horses and donkeys, often suspended from gallery ceilings or walls, extend this vocabulary. They operate as emblems of sacrifice, failure and endurance, turning the exhibition space into a site where power structures are literally hoisted into view and left in a state of unresolved tension.

Objects of gold, toilets and circulation

Cattelan’s engagement with value, circulation and everyday objects culminates in the work group built around the fully functioning gold toilet America. Cast in 18-karat gold and installed for use by visitors, the work maps the intimate act of bodily relief onto questions of wealth and access.

Through such objects, Cattelan connects the museum’s promise of contemplation with the infrastructure of plumbing, queues and maintenance. The gold toilet becomes both a sculptural object and a system, and this systemic level is a recurring feature in how his series address institutions and public space.

Relentless play with display formats

Across his series, Cattelan repeatedly stages works in ways that challenge standard museum display conventions. Figures are positioned in corners, emerging from walls or floors, or hanging from the ceiling, forcing viewers to adjust their habitual routes through the space.

This persistent disruption of sightlines and movement routes is central to his sculptural language. The works do not only carry allegorical content; they reorganize how bodies and gazes occupy the hall, with each series testing different levels of discomfort and surprise.

How the artist works

Maurizio Cattelan works primarily with sculpture and installation, often produced with teams of fabricators to achieve meticulous realism in figures and animals. His studio practice relies on long-term development of motifs, returning repeatedly to certain images and staging them differently over time.

Where the artist stands now

Maurizio Cattelan continues to expand his established work groups with new variations, and there is currently no announced date in the 30-day window that shifts this trajectory.

This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.