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Maurizio Cattelan

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10 Artworks That Don’t Really “Exist”

By Marina Galperina on

Last week, the Museum of Modern Art made a very important purchase, acquiring 4 minutes and 3 seconds of… nothing, just “three folded sheets of almost blank onionskin paper” — notation for conceptual artist John Cage’s 4’33″, a piece of music with no musical notes whatsoever. A silent orchestra. A conductor with a stopwatch. Instead of strings and horns, the audience experiences the sounds of waiting, of their own murmur, or — as in the open-air auditorium in Woodstock, where the piece premiered in the ’50s — of the rain, the shuddering of trees, the wind, and the piano player closing and opening the instrument that was never played. Subtle? Hokey? Radical? Here’s to work that doesn’t actually “exist” in a traditional sense, but makes its audience think, sense and feel. Calling all knee-jerking “This isn’t art!” trolls: I hope you’re ready. Here are 10 more silent, blank, absent and amazing works of art. … Read More

Art

Amazing Chess Sets Created by Famous Artists

By Marina Galperina on

Who needs regular chess when you can play with Yayoi Kusama’s splendidly dotted mushroomy shapes, Damien Hirst’s glass crystal pharmacy sets, or major chess champ Garry Kasparov’s favorite, Paul McCarthy’s playable collection of random kitchen ephemera? Ketchup to F3 and toaster-mate! Want! That is, if we had the money to purchase famous art. On now at the Saatchi Gallery in London through October 3rd, The Art of Chess brings together the work of some of the biggest names in the art world and their version of one of the humanity’s oldest games. Luckily for us, the fantastic Happy Famous Artists blog team stopped by the exhibit. Check out their photos, check check. Get it?  … Read More

Art

A Survey of Iconic Masks in Visual Art

By Marina Galperina on

Guy Fawkes, los Luchadores, Sleep No More — there are oh-so-many masks in today’s popular culture, and so many questions. What’s with this desire to plop on another’s image and transform into something different, new and strange? Why hide your identity behind an oval-shaped obstruction and gawk at the world from behind its eye-holes? What kind of wrestling tights does one wear with a sparkly aquamarine Lucha libre mask? Just kidding. Let’s swerve the conversation into the field of visual art and investigate. From masks’ roots in ancient ritual performance to their use in contemporary art and related ruckus, peek under a few here and see if they’re still relevant. … Read More

Art

The Famous Artworks Matchmaking Game

By Marina Galperina on

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and some of us here at Flavorpill are feeling silly. Or, you know, nauseated and glum. Sigh. So, what are we going to do? We’re going to play the Famous Artworks Matchmaking Game! Yay! Remember when you were kid and you’d smack your Barbie and Gumby together and pretend they were a couple? It’s like that. We’re pairing up the classic, contemporary, and pop culture works of art — and their subjects — that we think should go on a date and have a nice time together. Feel free to rain on our silly love parade in the comments section. We realize that it could be quite cathartic this time of year. … Read More

Art

10 Great Artworks Inspired by Children’s Toys

By Emily Temple on

Yesterday was Jeff Koons’ birthday, so the contemporary artist has been on our minds a little bit this weekend. Though critics are split on his work, we usually count ourselves fans, being generally fond of anything huge, fun and shiny, like Koons’ famous balloon dogs. We also enjoy the fact that Koons makes serious art that references children’s toys, and we got to thinking about some of the other artists around the world that do the same — whether they just incorporate the playthings into their work or create objects that could be used as enormous toys themselves. Click through to check out ten of our favorite artworks that were either inspired by, made out of, or crafted to resemble children’s toys, and do let us know if we’ve left off any of your favorite artistic playthings in the comments! … Read More

Art

From Wife Trophies to Dead Horses: Maurizio Cattelan’s Best Sculptures

By Marina Galperina on

Controversial, thoughtful, hilarious. Italian-born, New York-based artist Maurizio Cattelan, known for his hyper-realistic sculpture pranks and generally stirring things up, is currently showing all of his work in a new “anti-retrospective” at the Guggenheim. No, really, it’s basically all there. Maurizio Cattelan: All features more than 130 of his provocative works hanging in the middle of the Wright-designed rotunda, tied up into a giant, swinging heap. If you get a chance, you should take a closer look in person before January 22. In the meantime, here are our favorite pieces created by the purportedly retiring artist — from the pathetic Hitler to the meteorite-stricken Pope to the trophy of a trophy wife. See some of Cattelan’s best pranks in our gallery. … Read More

Art

Nude Bust of Stephanie Seymour Up for Auction

By Caroline Stanley on

Back in 2003, when he was still madly in love with his model/actress wife Stephanie Seymour, newspaper tycoon Peter Brant commissioned controversial Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan (he of recent middle finger fame) to make a nude bust of her. But because Cattelan believes in sharing (or more likely, can’t resist a good f-you… Read More

Art

Horses, Dogs, and Psychopaths: Maurizio Cattelan in Houston

By Paul Laster on

Controversial Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is infamous for his sculptural portrayals of Pope John Paul II being felled by a meteorite and a childlike Hitler kneeling and praying, as well as a performance piece at the Museum of Modern Art, where he had an actor don a giant Picasso head and engage visitors. Although it’s been seven years since the 50-year-old Pop-conceptualist has had a solo show in America, Cattelan has been busy in Europe, as witnessed by the survey show of recent works at the Menil Collection in Houston. Integrated by the artist into the museum’s collection of medieval and modernist works, the show presents a dialogue between the present and the past that ironically comments on religion, politics, and art history. … Read More

Artkrush

Pop Life at Tate Modern

By Paul Laster on

As Andy Warhol famously declared, “Good business is the best art.” Taking Warhol and his maxim as its point of departure, Pop Life: Art in a Material World presents a selection of international artists who have followed in his footsteps. Organized by London’s Tate Modern and co-curated by Artforum editor-at-large Jack Bankowsky, François Pinault Collection curator Alison Gingeras, and Tate Modern curator Catherine Wood, Pop Life explores the relationship between art, commerce, and celebrity in the post-Pop era. … Read More

Art

The Biennale’s Best: Paul Laster Asks Gallerists, Curators, and Collectors to Weigh In

By Paul Laster on

What works did international art dealers, curators and collectors consider the most impressive at the 53rd Venice Biennale? It was surprising how consistently the same names came up. The US Pavilion ranked high, even before it was voted best pavilion of this year. And Elmgreen & Dragset’s “The Collectors” was another favorite. And everyone was impressed with Francois Pinault’s Punta della Dogana.… Read More