Not many artists can appropriate a figure like Pope John Paul II—assaulting him with a giant meteorite, no less—and sell the work for millions. And even fewer can get away with convincing their gallerist to dress as a pink phallus for one month, or cloaking an elephant in a Ku Klux Klan uniform. Italian contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan, however, can and has, having made a career of subverting cultural and societal rules in his witty and often morbid works. Today marks the opening of Cattelan’s first (and, he says, last) retrospective at the Guggenheim in New York; come January 22, when the show ends, the artist is due to announce his retirement. Meanwhile, bringing together his entire oeuvre in a less-than-traditional display, Cattelan will yet again disrupt the natural order of things. We decided to ask him why.

I’ve read that you feel the location of a work is crucial. How did having your first and only retrospective at the Guggenheim reflect on your oeuvre? 
The Frank Lloyd Wright rotunda is a challenge to any artist. I wonder who will win this time: my work or the building?

At the show, all of your work is hanging in mid-air from the top of the rotunda. Why was it important for you to disregard the comprehensiveness and chronology one might expect in a retrospective?
I’m a commitment-phobe, and this is my first retrospective. Having resisted showing my works together for so long, I went to the opposite extreme.

You’re considered an art world bad boy, and at times your work has been called “scandalous.” What do these terms mean to your work and practice? Do they reflect something about society?
Bad things are always in the eye of the beholder. Scandal can bring you attention initially, but if you look closer, there has to be something more to be found in order to keep your attention.

What works are you most looking forward to seeing again in the retrospective?
I’m looking forward to seeing all my works, my old friends. It will be the first time in more than 20 years, for me as well as for the public. It will be a great party. At least, the first 10 minutes of the party will be great.

Your retrospective marks the first time the Guggenheim has released a mobile app for one of its shows. Why did you choose John Waters to introduce it? Is he a kindred spirit?
If you think my work is scandalous, take a look at the work of John Waters!

"Maurizio Cattelan: All" at the Guggenheim
Photos: David Heald