I first heard of these cans back in 1977 while I was a student in Florence. What was being said then was that no-one actually knew what was in the tins. It was therefore argued that the tins themselves were indeed a work of art because the presentation made the viewer think differently about tins and their possible contents and value. The Merda d'Artista itself is therefore not the work of art.

Well, I dunno. Still sounds like a load of crap to me.