There’s a Can of Poop at MoMA
The smelling story behind Piero Manzoni’s most infamous work.
Yes, you read that right—New York’s Museum of Modern Art houses one of the art world’s most peculiar creations: Artist’s Shit by Italian conceptual artist Piero Manzoni. This provocative piece, created in 1961, is said to contain exactly what its title suggests: the artist’s excrement, canned and labeled as an artwork.
Manzoni, ever the provocateur, produced 90 numbered cans, each labeled in multiple languages and sealed to perfection. He famously declared that their value should match their weight in gold—a playful critique of the commodification of art in the post-war era. Today, these cans are worth far more than their weight in gold, with one selling for $300,000 at auction in 2016.
MoMA owns one of these infamous cans, but no one truly knows what’s inside. The cans can’t be x-rayed, and the few attempts to investigate have yielded inconclusive results. Yet, this uncertainty only amplifies the work’s mystique and its biting commentary on the art market.
Manzoni’s bold work continues to challenge perceptions, forcing us to question: What defines art? And how far will we go to put a price on it? For now, the can remains sealed, its mystery intact—a perfect metaphor for the ever-evolving dialogue around art and value.
ART Walkway News
