Maurizio Cattelan's Live Donkey at Frieze New York Sparks Animal Rights Protests
At the 2016 Frieze New York, Maurizio Cattelan presented a live donkey in the Daniel Newburg Gallery booth, curated by Cecilia Alemani as part of Frieze Projects. The installation, which included a chandelier and allowed the donkey to roam, quickly drew criticism from animal rights advocates. Donny Moss, a prominent activist, condemned the use of a live animal, comparing it to exploiting a child for art. This piece references Cattelan's earlier 1994 exhibition at the same gallery, which was only available for one day. Cattelan is known for provocative works, including "La Nona Ora" (1999). The use of live animals has happened before at Frieze, like in 2015 with 12 live horses. The donkey’s caretaker mentioned it remained calm and took breaks every two hours.
Key facts
- Maurizio Cattelan presented a live donkey at Frieze New York 2016 as part of Frieze Projects.
- The installation was curated by Cecilia Alemani, who will also curate the Italian Pavilion at the next Venice Biennale.
- The piece references Cattelan's 1994 solo show at Daniel Newburg Gallery in Soho.
- Animal rights activist Donny Moss criticized the use of a live donkey in the artwork.
- Cattelan's previous controversial works include 'La Nona Ora' (1999) and a 2004 installation of child mannequins.
- In 2015, Gavin Brown's gallery recreated Jannis Kounellis's 1969 installation with 12 live horses at Frieze.
- Other artists using live animals include Paola Pivi and Carsten Höller.
- The donkey's caretaker stated the animal was calm and took breaks in an outdoor garden every two hours.
Entities
Artists
- Maurizio Cattelan
- Cecilia Alemani
- Jannis Kounellis
- Paola Pivi
- Carsten Höller
- Fabio Sargentini
- Gino de Dominicis
Institutions
- Frieze New York
- Daniel Newburg Gallery
- Gavin Brown's gallery
- Fondazione Nicola Trussardi
- Hangar Bicocca
- Artribune
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Soho
- Milan
- Italy
- Rome
- Venice