A bottle of ketchup in the Casino gardens, why?

The bottle is in fact part of a very intriguing exhibition.

A strange giant ketchup bottle has just turned up in the Casino gardens. It certainly stands out from the surroundings, but what is it doing there?

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The answer is pretty simple. It’s a work of art, specifically the Daddies Tomato Ketchup Inflatable sculpture by artist Paul McCarthy. It is part of a bigger exhibition that features many of the artist’s works in a retrospective of his art in the heart of the Principality.

If you are not familiar with Paul McCarthy, you may remember the Christmas tree at Place Vendôme in Paris in 2014. It was in the shape of a ‘butt plug’ and caused quite a stir. Upshot, the piece was removed a few days after its installation.

Here, the sculpture on display in Monaco is more consensual and seeks to question the excessive consumerism of our time.

An exhibition that questions

The more controversial works are tucked away in the Hauser & Wirth contemporary art gallery. The gallery specialises in contemporary creations, and this summer it is hosting the “Pirates Stew Pot” exhibition. Paul McCarthy brings all his artistry to bear in order to get people thinking.

Greed, rampant marketing, social ostentation, sadism, the works explore and criticise different vices and aspects of society in sculpture. Often unsettling, very bloody and full of genitalia, the exhibition presents an allegory of society that can be seen until 27 August.

More details: Hauser&Wirth