The Creepy Sculpture That Set Maurizio Cattelan's Auction Record
3 min read · 14 Jan 2025
Him. Image courtesy of Christie's
The auction record of the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, who is rarely out of the news, belongs to Him (2001), which sold for $17.19m at Christie's in New York on May 8, 2016. The wax, human hair, suit, polyester resin and pigment work, which depicts Adolf Hitler kneeling, his gaze turned upwards, had not been traded before. The owner of the eerie sculpture is unknown. The work is an edition of three plus one artist's proof.
Untitled. Image courtesy of Sotheby's
The sale beat the artist’s previous auction record by $9.27m, a 100% rise. Cattelan's previous record was set by Untitled (Undated), which sold for $7.92m at Sotheby's on May 12, 2010. The work, a self-portrait of the artist emerging from a hole in the floor, had not been traded before.
A Brief History of Maurizio Cattelan at Auction
Sale Date | Title | Price | Record Increase | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016-05-08 | Him | $17.19m | 117 % | Christie's | New York |
2010-05-12 | Untitled | $7.92m | 193 % | Sotheby's | New York |
2004-11-11 | La nona ora the ninth hour | $2.7m | 10 % | Phillips de Pury & Company | New York |
2004-11-10 | Not afraid of love | $2.45m | 32 % | Christie's | New York |
2004-05-12 | Ballad of Trotsky | $1.85m | 131 % | Sotheby's | New York |
2001-05-17 | La nona ora the ninth hour | $800,000 | 233 % | Christie's | New York |
2000-11-16 | Untitled | $240,000 | 71 % | Christie's | New York |
2000-11-14 | Little sperms | $140,000 | 79 % | Sotheby's | New York |
2000-06-27 | Fifteen pigeons | $78,000 | - | Christie's | London |
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