The Ballad of Trotsky is a conceptual art piece comprising a dead taxidermised horse, hanging from the ceiling [1] [2] , by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, from 1996. [3]
A taxidermised horse is aligned to the ceiling of an institutional space. [1] [3] The statue of a horse is installed in an art gallery. [2] [3]
This taxidermised horse refers Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, a leading figure in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and in the Soviet Union, that later, because of his opposition to Stalin, in the 1920s, went to exile in Mexico City; where he consequently was murdered by order of the Soviet dictator. [1] [2] [3]
Julien Delagrange has viewed the concept to represent a tragedy which aligns with the fate of Trotsky - presented by the work is one of thwarted potential and having to bear witness to the loss of an ideal - Trotsky represents utopia and persistent efforts to achieve a better world, but also a failure, representing the tragi-comic predicament of the human condition as a whole. [1] [4]
Lev Davidovich Bronstein, better known as Leon Trotsky, was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He was a central figure in the 1905 Revolution, October Revolution, Russian Civil War, and establishment of the Soviet Union. Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin were widely considered the two most prominent Soviet figures, and Trotsky was "de facto" second-in-command during the early years of the Russian Soviet Republic. Ideologically a Marxist and Leninist, his thought and writings inspired a school of Marxism known as Trotskyism.
Events from the year 1996 in art.
Maurizio Cattelan is an Italian visual artist. Known primarily for his hyperrealistic sculptures and installations, Cattelan's practice also includes curating and publishing. His satirical approach to art has resulted in him being frequently labelled as a joker or prankster of the art world. Self-taught as an artist, Cattelan has exhibited internationally in museums and Biennials. Maurizio Cattelan created his most important works of art at Viale Bligny 42 in Milan, where he lived for many years.
Flash Art is a contemporary art magazine, and an Italian and international publishing house. Originally published bilingually, both in Italian and in English, since 1978 is published in two separate editions, Flash Art Italia (Italian) and Flash Art International (English). Since September 2020, the magazine is seasonal, and said editions are published four times a year.
Sergei Leonidovich Garmash is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actor. He is a People's Artist of Russia. In 2013 he was a member of the jury at the 35th Moscow International Film Festival.
The 15th Rome Quadriennale or XV Rome Quadriennale is an Italian art exhibition held between 19 June and 14 September 2008 at its historical site, the Palazzo delle Esposizioni of Rome, Italy.
The Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea or PAC is a museum of contemporary art in Milan, Italy. It is on via Palestro, next to the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, and across from the Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli.
Nancy Spector is an American museum curator who has held positions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City and the Brooklyn Museum.
Massimiliano Gioni is an Italian curator and contemporary art critic based in New York City, and artistic director at the New Museum. He is the artistic director of the Nicola Trussardi Foundation in Milan as well as the artistic director of the Beatrice Trussardi Foundation. Gioni was the curator of the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013.
Monkeys (Chair) is a sculpture by the American artist Jeff Koons (112 x 23 x 26 in). It was made in 2002 within the framework of the Popeye Series and is now in possession of the Collection Uli Knecht.
Francesco Bonami is an Italian art curator and writer. He lives in Milan and Manhattan, New York.
A hand heart is a gesture in which a person forms a heart shape using their fingers.
Massimo De Carlo is an Italian art dealer, with gallery spaces in Milan, London, Hong Kong and Paris.
America is a sculpture created in 2016 by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. An example of satirical participatory art, it is a fully functioning toilet made of 18-karat solid gold. It was stolen in 2019 from Blenheim Palace, where it was exhibited on loan from the permanent collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Toiletpaper is a biannual magazine co-created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari. Founded in 2010, the magazine is presented as a limited edition book and its website offers a post-internet collaged exhibition of animated and video content.
The year 2019 in art involved various significant events.
Comedian is a 2019 artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Created in an edition of three, it appears as a fresh banana affixed to a wall with duct tape. As a work of conceptual art, it consists of a certificate of authenticity with detailed diagrams and instructions for its proper display. Two editions of the piece sold for US$120,000 each at Art Basel Miami Beach to significant media attention. The third edition was donated to the Guggenheim Museum. Number two of the limited edition of three was sold for $6.2 million in November 2024.
Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back is a 2016 documentary about the Italian contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan It was directed by Maura Axelrod. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival as a special presentation of the Guggenheim Museum.
L.O.V.E., commonly known as Il Dito is a sculpture by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan consisting of a hand with all the fingers severed with the exception of the middle finger. The sculpture is located in Piazza degli Affari in (Milan), where the Italian stock exchange is located. The name L.O.V.E. is the acronym of "Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità". The sculpture, built in 2010, was originally exhibited on the occasion of Cattelan's retrospective at The Royal Palace of Milan. After the exhibition closed, the city Councillor for Culture Massimiliano Finazzer Flory proposed the piece to be permanent. The business community objected to the idea but after long deliberations, facilitated by Cattelan's decision to donate the sculpture, L.O.V.E. was eventually given permanent status.
Blind is a 2021 sculptural work by the Italian multi-media artist Maurizio Cattelan that memorializes the September 11 attacks of September 11, 2001.