I Saw Santa’s Sex Toy

Artist Paul McCarthy, no stranger to food in his art, is producing 10 inch chocolate figurines based on his sculpture, Santa With Butt Plug. Since November, he has transformed the Maccarone gallery in the West Village into Peter Paul Chocolates, a fully functioning chocolate factory, turning out 1,000 ‘Santa With Tree And Bell’ chocolate figurines each day. The factory store is open through Christmas Eve, offering a view of the production process and selling the chocolate Santas for $100. Considering the price of a McCarthy original (many many dollars), this is a cheap way to own and eat his work. Still, you’ll probably want to show it off a while, say on top of ye olde Christmas tree while you hold a discussion of “art as commodity” with all your house-guests.

