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Hyperallergic

Hyperallergic

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Posted inArt

A Paul McCarthy Parody to Plug the Hole in Your Holiday Decorations

Avatar photo by Benjamin Sutton December 2, 2014

The art world’s favorite dirty joke of 2014 — Paul McCarthy’s suggestive “Tree” inflatable that caused Paris’s prudes to perk up back in October — is coming home for the holidays.

Posted inArt

The Bigger Than Life Team Behind Paul McCarthy’s Inflammatory Inflatables

by Cat Weaver November 5, 2014November 9, 2014

In the last few weeks, Paul McCarthy has catapulted into the public imagination as the infamous artist firmly behind Paris’s ill-fated “Tree” (aka #pluggate).

Posted inArt

Paul McCarthy’s Raunchy Chocolate Fairytale

by Joseph Nechvatal October 31, 2014November 5, 2014

PARIS — I admit that I was nearly fed up with Paul McCarthy’s pretentious zombie provocation — and its sudden removal.

Posted inOpinion

Solemn Protest Against Public Art Reactionaries as McCarthy Goes Chocula in Paris

by Joseph Nechvatal October 24, 2014October 27, 2014

PARIS — About 60 artists and art critics allied with the French chapter of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) gathered in the Place Vendôme at mid-day Friday near where Paul McCarthy’s once mighty butt plug–based inflatable “Tree” had once stood and stooped. McCarthy himself was absent.

Posted inArt

How To Talk About Paul McCarthy

by Cat Weaver October 22, 2014August 5, 2021

What, I ask you, should one expect if one asks artist Paul McCarthy to create a Christmas tree for the place of honor at a renowned, must-attend art fair? Well, it’s Paul McCarthy, so there are only two possible outcomes: a turd or a butt plug.

Posted inIn Brief

French President Pledges Support for Paul McCarthy’s Butt Plug

Avatar photo by Benjamin Sutton October 21, 2014November 5, 2014

France’s chief of state has pledged his support for the American artist Paul McCarthy, after the artist’s 80-foot-tall inflatable sculpture “Tree,” which bares an uncanny resemblance to a butt plug, proved intolerable to prudish Parisians.

Posted inOpinion

Paul McCarthy’s Epic Plug de Noël Goes Flaccid After Mounting Problems

Avatar photo by Hrag Vartanian October 19, 2014October 22, 2014

After a rough start for Paul McCarthy’s 80-foot tall “Tree,” that included a few punches and name-calling by people unhappy with the artist’s provocation, the inflatable green sculpture has been, well, unplugged.

Posted inOpinion

Paul McCarthy’s XXXmas Tree Plugs Up Paris

Avatar photo by Hrag Vartanian October 17, 2014January 5, 2018

American artist Paul McCarthy has erected his latest Christmas-themed work, “Tree,” and it has plugged up Paris’s Place Vendome for the FIAC Contemporary Art Fair.

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Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. Founded in 2009, Hyperallergic is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York.

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