Maurizio Cattelan
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Maurizio Cattelan is an Italian artist born in Padova, Italy, in 1960.
Biography
Cattelan did not attend art school but taught himself. He did many odd jobs, including one at a mortuary, which some credit for his macabre taste. He started his career in Forlì (Italy) making wooden furniture in the eighties where he came to know some designers like Ettore Sottsass. He made a catalogue of his work which he sent to galleries. This promotion gave him an opening in design and contemporary art. He created a sculpture of an ostrich with its head buried in the ground, wore a costume of a figurine with a giant head of Picasso, and he affixed a Milanese gallerist to a wall with tape. During this period, he also created the Oblomov Foundation.
Most recently, Cattelan has taken on the role of curator. He resides in the East Village of New York, but maintains a foothold in Milan. He created a magazine called Permanent Food which includes images stolen from other magazines.
