Maurizio Cattelan: Beware of Yourself

Part autobiography, part monograph, part catalogue raisonne the story of Cattelan's 40-year career as told solely by the artist himself

Covering almost 40 years of work from Italian artist and curator Maurizio Cattelan (born 1960), this volume falls somewhere between a catalogue raisonne, a monograph sui generis, an autobiography and a sourcebook. Chapters in which Cattelan discusses recurrent concepts, processes and questions in his practice alternate with specific focuses on works and series of works, exhibitions or special projects, grouped together and arranged as possible trajectories toward a deeper understanding. Also included are nine essays by Cattelan, written between 1989 and the present day, presented here in their full-length versions with indications of their original contexts. The experience of reading the book is continually renewed through groups of works presented in chronological order, making it possible to trace the evolution of the themes and the course of Cattelan's development as an artist. Beware of Yourself is not just the reconstruction of an artistic career but also an invitation to ask ourselves questions about appearances, about roles, about the very meaning of art and life: a continual play of mirrors in which the critical view of the other inevitably becomes an invitation to reflect on ourselves.