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Opinion

Maurizio Cattelan, W(TF?) Magazine & Artist Matthieu Lavanchy

Imitation may be the highest form of flattery but artist Mauricio Cattelan’s recent photo shoot for W Magazine has an obvious — and unattributed — reference to the work of another artist, Matthieu Lavanchy. We’re curious how that happened.

Peter Combe

— 1 min read
Left: Matthieu Lavanchy, Detail of “Mr. Schulmann or the Man in the High Castle” (2008); Right: Maurizio Cattelan’s portfolio for the November 2009 edition of W Magazine — Photographed by PierPaolo Ferrari, Styled by Camilla Nickerson, Curated by Dennis Freedman. (click to enlarge)

Imitation may be the highest form of flattery but artist Maurizio Cattelan’s recent portfolio for W Magazine with supermodel Linda Evangelista has an obvious — and unattributed — reference to the work of another artist, Matthieu Lavanchy. We’re curious how that happened, especially since the magazine writes that Cattelan “ … conceived [the] … politically and religiously charged portfolio … ”

Coincidentally, the Switzerland-based Lavanchy is a selected finalist in Hyères 2010: Festival International de Mode et de Photographie. and his Mr. Schulmann or the Man in the High Castle series will be exhibited in Villa Noailles from April 30 to May 30.

Editor’s note: Joerg Colberg of Conscientious characterizes Lavanchy’s Mr. Schulmann series as “a commentary on our state of terror-related paranoia.”