Maurizio Cattelan: Beware of Yourself

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

Spanning nearly 40 years of work by Italian artist and curator Maurizio Cattelan (b. 1960), this volume is part catalogue raisonné, part sui generis monograph, part autobiography, and part sourcebook. Chapters in which Cattelan discusses concepts, processes, and recurring questions in his practice alternate with specific focuses on works and series of works, exhibitions, or special projects, grouped and arranged as possible paths toward a deeper understanding.

Also included are nine essays written by Cattelan between 1989 and the present, presented here in their complete versions with indications of their original contexts. The reading experience of the book is continually renewed through groups of works presented in chronological order, allowing the reader to trace the evolution of themes and Cattelan's development as an artist.

Beware of Yourself is not only the reconstruction of an artistic career, but also an invitation to ask ourselves questions about appearances, roles, the very meaning of art and life: a continuous game of mirrors in which the critical gaze of the other inevitably becomes an invitation to reflect on ourselves.