CoinWeek staff reports…
Controversial American artist Paul McCarthy, who was in the news recently after his giant green inflatable “Christmas Tree” sculpture–installed in the heart of historic Paris–came under fire for being indecent, has opened a remarkable exposition at the newly renovated Monnaie de Paris (the Paris Mint).
McCarthy’s installation, entitled Chocolate Factory, is the first in a series of planned contemporary art programs to be housed at the Monnaie de Paris and curated by Culture Program Director Chiara Parisi.
The exhibition will feature McCarthy’s trademark inflatable sculptures, giant candy molds and a working chocolate factory, complete with chocolatiers and automated machines, which work in concert to create an over-abundance of sculpted candy figurines.
Everyday, the quantity of perishable edible figurines increases, creating a logistical nightmare for the factory workers.
What McCarthy is driving at, according to a Mint press release, is to “question the notion of seriality in the very building where coins are minted in the dozens and hundreds of millions.”
To further commemorate the event, the Monnaie de Paris has struck an extremely limited 90mm Florentine bronze medal. On the obverse, McCarthy’s bell-ringing Santa Claus. On the reverse, McCarthy’s aforementioned “Christmas Tree”.
To read more, or to buy tickets, click here.
