Maurizio Cattelan Wins 2026 Preis der Nationalgalerie
62Nov. 7, 2025
Conceptual artistMaurizio Cattelan, known for his use of humor to question social structures and systems of power, has been named the winner of the 2026Preis der Nationalgalerie. Established in 2000, the prize is generally considered Germany’s premier award for contemporary artists. Cattelan was unanimously selected for the honor by a jury comprising Emma Lavigne, director of the Pinault Collection, Paris; Sam Keller, director of the Fondation Beyeler, Basel; and Klaus Biesenbach, director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin. A solo exhibition of his work—the first to be held in Germany—will open at the Neue Nationalgalerie in September 2026.
Born in Padua, Italy, in 1960, Cattelan first gained fame in the 1990s. Among his best-known works are 1999’sLa Nona Ora, a sculpture of a prone Pope John Paul II felled by a meteorite; 2001’sHim, a praying schoolboy with the visage of Adolf Hitler; and 2019’sComedian, a banana duct-taped to a wall. This last work made headlines around the world in 2024 after it wassold at auctionfor $6.2 million and subsequently devoured by its purchaser, crypto-billionaire Justin Sun.
“Cattelan’s practice engages enduring themes such as power, religion, death, humor and memory—concerns that resonate with particular force in Berlin, a city profoundly shaped by its complex history,” said the prize jury in a statement. “As an Italian artist with an international career, he brings a distinctly European perspective to questions of identity, responsibility and collective remembrance. His works invite us to confront history in ways that are simultaneously provocative, critical and poetic.”
“BEING AN ARTIST IS NOT A JOB, IT’S A MALFUNCTION,” said Cattelan in an all-caps statement. “IF I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, I WOULD HAVE STOPPED A LONG TIME AGO.”