Maurizio Cattelan is an Italian conceptual artist born in 1960 in Padua. He did not attend any Academy, but developed his works as a self-taught artist. His artistic career began in the 1980s in Forlì, Emilia Romagna. Before dedicating himself to sculpture and conceptual art in the early ’90s, Cattelan worked on various projects, including furniture design. Known for his humor and ability to blur the line between art and reality, Cattelan has created works that often criticize the personalities and conventions of the art world. His subversive style has sparked controversy but has also fascinated both the public and fellow artists.
On March 30, 2004, he was awarded an honorary degree in Sociology from the University of Trento.
In 2008, Cattelan won the Lifetime Achievement Award (gold medal) at the 15th Quadriennale d’Arte in Rome.
From November 4, 2011, to January 22, 2012, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum celebrated the artist with Maurizio Cattelan: All his first complete retrospective.
His projects and solo exhibitions have been presented at major international institutions, including Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire (2019); Monnaie de Paris (2016); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2016 and 2011); Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel (2013); Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw (2012); Palazzo Reale, Milan.
Cattelan’s works are among the most highly valued for a living Italian artist: the untitled work representing the artist emerging from a hole in the floor was sold by Sotheby’s in 2010 for approximately 8.3 million dollars.

Breath Ghosts Blind [july – february 2022] Milano

His exhibition “Breath Ghosts Blind” in Milan is an immersive experience that explores the most emotional and significant aspects of human existence. The title of the exhibition derives from the three works that compose it:

• Breath: A white marble sculpture that poetically represents the essence of life and intimacy. It depicts a man in a fetal position and a dog, lying on the ground, symbolizing the vital breath.

• Ghosts: An installation made up of hundreds of taxidermied pigeons scattered individually or in groups along the overhead crane throughout the space, dispersed in the gaps between the pillars and walls of the building as they “watch” from above the movements of the visitors who observe them. This part of the exhibition addresses the social dimension, memory, and others.

• Blind: A funerary monument that portrays the looming of History over our lives and the inevitability of death. It is also a tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The three works serve as moments in a symbolic representation of the life cycle, from birth to death, through emblematic references for the collective imagination, questioning the current system of values and offering a profound reflection on the most disorienting aspects of everyday life.

The artist has managed a very large space with a limited number of pieces, creating an atmosphere of discomfort and vulnerability for the viewer. The exhibition offers a deep and engaging vision of the life cycle, between hope and failure, matter and spirit, truth and fiction.