Bear and Rabbit on a Rock
1992
Mascot heads, acrylic fur, metal armature, foam rubber, formica pedestal
270 x 190 x 130 cm (106 5/16 x 74 13/16 x 51 3/16 in.)
Eschewing convention, Bear and Rabbit on a Rock bluntly shows a bear mating with a big stuffed rabbit in an unusual position for animals.
True to the American artist Paul McCarthy's penchant for transgression, the monumental installation humorously attacks the good taste and mawkishness that often surround the world of children's toys but also breaks the taboo of child sexuality. From the outset, his work has ruthlessly, uncompromisingly critiqued the value system on which so-called "Western" society is based, mixing Freudian psychoanalysis, sexual fetishism and consumerism, among other things.
The provocative work was presented for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the major group show "Mapping the Studio" (2009-2011) at the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice.
True to the American artist Paul McCarthy's penchant for transgression, the monumental installation humorously attacks the good taste and mawkishness that often surround the world of children's toys but also breaks the taboo of child sexuality. From the outset, his work has ruthlessly, uncompromisingly critiqued the value system on which so-called "Western" society is based, mixing Freudian psychoanalysis, sexual fetishism and consumerism, among other things.
The provocative work was presented for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the major group show "Mapping the Studio" (2009-2011) at the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice.
Exhibitions
© Paul McCarthy.
© Palazzo Grassi Spa.
Photo : ORCH orsenigo_chemollo
Exhibition view, Mapping The Studio, Venice, June 6 2009 - April 10 2011.
© Paul McCarthy
Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Photo: Patrick Goetelen
© Paul McCarthy
Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Photo: Patrick Goetelen
