Maurizio Cattelan is an Italian artist known for his playful, often irreverent, and thought-provoking works. He was born in 1960 in Padua, Italy, and began his artistic career in the late 1980s. Throughout his career, Cattelan has worked in a variety of media, including sculpture, photography, and performance, and he is known for his ability to create works that are at once humorous, absurd, and deeply critical of contemporary society.

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Cattelan's works often address a wide range of political, cultural, and social issues, and they often push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in contemporary art. For example, he has created sculptures of a Pope lying on a couch, a miniature sculpture of Hitler on his knees, and a life-sized statue of a horse suspended from the ceiling. Despite their controversial nature, Cattelan's works have been widely recognized and celebrated for their ability to challenge and engage audiences, and they have been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions and retrospectives.