The artwork, titled “Artist’s Shit,” was created by Piero Manzoni in 1961. It is an assemblage piece, belonging to the Conceptual Art movement and falls under the genre of installation art. This notable work is housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, NY, US.
The artwork consists of a small, cylindrical can with a label bearing printed text in multiple languages that identifies its contents as “Artist’s Shit,” weighing 30 grams and purportedly preserved fresh. The can itself is sealed, and the top is inscribed with the artist’s signature and the piece’s number in the series. This provocative piece challenges conventional notions of art and value by implicating the artist’s personal bodily function as its medium, thereby becoming a substantial example within the Conceptual Art movement.
