Artist's Shit (Merda d'Artista in Italian) is a controversial piece created in 1961 by Italian artist Piero Manzoni. This provocative work comprises 90 small tin cans, each allegedly containing 30 grams of the artist's own excrement. The cans measure 4.8 by 6.5 centimeters and feature labels in four languages (Italian, English, French, and German) that read:

Artist's Shit
Contents 30 gr net
Freshly preserved
Produced and tinned
in May 1961

The creation of this piece is steeped in family lore. Manzoni's father, who owned a cannery, reportedly disapproved of his son's artistic pursuits, once declaring, "Your work is shit." In a display of literal interpretation and artistic rebellion, the younger Manzoni transformed this harsh criticism into a tangible - and now infamous - work of art.