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Maurizio Cattelan A Donkey between Two Doctors , 2004 Taxidermy structure, 63 × 31½ × 69 in. H. Gael Neeson Collection
The word easel (meaning a wooden frame) was borrowed from the Dutch word for donkey, ezel , around the turn of the seventeenth century, when the animal’s historical role as a burden carrier was connected with the notion of a painting being loaded onto a stand. In 1994, Cattelan presented a live donkey in a now-infamous installation at Daniel Newburg Gallery, New York. The comical seated posture of this taxidermy example encapsulates his satirical approach to artmaking, while also highlighting the way animals can become allegories of human behavior in art and literature. The title evokes the philosophical paradox of Buridan’s ass and the absurdity of death wrought by indecision. —HJ
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