Maurizio Cattelan at the Guggenheim

Man, this was far out and very amusing. At the Guggenheim for a few more weeks is the retrospective 'show' of Maurizio Cattelan. None of the pieces are in the traditional Guggenheim galleries, however, but all suspended from the ceiling in the center. If you've ever seen this:

then you're already familiar with Cattelan's work. And this pope-hit-by-a-meteor piece was suspended with the others, sometimes with smaller little echo-versions.

But this was far more than a retrospective in that Cattelan insisted it be hung as he hung it. Furthermore, he has apparently, with this show, announced his retirement from the art world. So in a sense, this is not as much of a retrospective as it is his final piece, called All. Indeed, it functions as a piece, because as you ascend there are plenty of images that come into view that were not visible from below, or images that you thought you understood but, from above, show elements that were hidden. There's also a sort of artistic narrative of sorts that unfolds as you ascend, with references to other figures and images in the art world as well as other images within the piece. There's a lot that's shocking but, after you get over the shock, there's plenty of humor so it's really quite an experience. If you can, go, because it kicks ass and will be closing relatively soon.