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# Maurizio Cattelan, W(TF?) Magazine & Artist Matthieu Lavanchy
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/mauricio-cattelan-w-magazine-matthieu-lavanchy/
- Published: 2010-05-06T17:00:03.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:03:15.000Z
- Description: 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.
- Author: Peter Combe
- Tags: Opinion, #image-position-hidden, Maurizio Cattelan, W Magazine, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-17 09:23 (2009-2011)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2010/05/lavancy-cattelan-w-med.jpg)

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*](http://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/2009/11/maurizio%5Fcattelan?ref=hyperallergic.com#slide=1) with supermodel Linda Evangelista has an obvious — and unattributed — reference to the work of another artist, [Matthieu Lavanchy](http://www.matthieulavanchy.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com). 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 2](http://www.villanoailles-hyeres.com/hyeres25.php?cat%5Fid=4&ref=hyperallergic.com)[010: Festival International de Mode et de Photographie](http://www.villanoailles-hyeres.com/hyeres25.php?cat%5Fid=4&ref=hyperallergic.com). 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*](http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/2010/05/matthieu%5Flavanchy/?ref=hyperallergic.com) *characterizes Lavanchy’s* Mr. Schulmann *series as “a commentary on our state of terror-related paranoia.”*