The Wrong Idea

Maruizio Cattelan has established himself as an international art star in a rapidly changing art world playing by the rules of a new paradigm: an attention-driven economy, where value is increasingly counted more in terms of popularity rather than critical approval. Partnering with curator/writers Massimiliano Gioni and Ali Subotnick to establish The Wrong Gallery; the world's smallest Art Gallery, Cattelan is able to leverage several different angles in the creation of aesthetic value. His output includes not only sculpture, but also periodical publication, art-fair curation, and a diabolical persona comparable to that of Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol. Beginning with the 2004 Whitney Biennial in which Cattelan claimed to have buried a sculpture under the floor, and moving through his body of works, rumors and pranks, Cattelan applies conceptual strategies to profit from - and be critical of - today's art market. This book will interest anyone invested in the new paradigm shift in the art market at the turn of the new millennium, the artworks themselves, or the criticism being produced for it.