"Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet selling for $12 million to Ripley's Believe It or Not! at Sotheby's is somehow not the artist's only news this week. The Renaissance Society in Chicago announced that Cattelan was selected to design the upcoming RenBen 2026, the organization's annual artist-led fundraiser. Why on Earth would this beloved contemporary art kunsthalle, known for its boundary-pushing programming and earnestly experimental exhibitions, engage an artist responsible for some of the most conceptually vacant statements of our era?"
"Formerly known as the International Fine Print Dealers Association, the NYC organization has rebranded as the International Fine Prints and Drawings Association, officially welcoming drawings dealers into the mix for the first time. Unfortunately, this will do nothing to change the unwieldy acronym IFPDA, a perpetual bee in the bonnet of every copyeditor in arts journalism. We're happy for y'all, though!"
Maurizio Cattelan sold a solid-gold toilet to Ripley's Believe It or Not! at Sotheby's for $12 million and was chosen to design RenBen 2026 at the Renaissance Society in Chicago. The selection prompted skepticism given the institution's experimental reputation and perceptions of Cattelan's conceptual provocation. The International Fine Print Dealers Association rebranded as the International Fine Prints and Drawings Association to formally include drawings dealers while retaining the IFPDA initials. Auction coverage noted a record Klimt sale and concerns about the Phillips Collection's deaccessioning. Candida Alvarez is among 15 recipients of the 2025 Anonymous Was A Woman award.
Read at Hyperallergic
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