Million-dollar banana art eaten again

By Ciara Mina

The artwork, titled “Comedian” – a banana duct-taped to a wall – has been eaten by a visitor, according to the exhibitors. 

This is the most recent instance of the conceptual artwork being eaten.

The artist’s reaction 

After the visitor ate the banana, security staff stepped in quickly and quietly, according to the Pompidou-Metz museum in eastern France, adding that it was “reinstalled within minutes.”

“As the fruit is perishable, it is regularly replaced according to instructions from the artist,” it stated.

“Comedian” artist Maurizio Cattelan commented that the person didn’t eat the banana skin and the duct tape as well.

“Instead of eating the banana with its skin and duct tape, the visitor just consumed the fruit,” the Italian said.

History of hungry visitors eating the artwork

The artwork has been eaten many times before.

In 2019, performance artist David Datuna ate the banana after seeing it during its debut at the Art Basel Show in Miami.

He called his performance piece “Hungry Artist” in an Instagram post with the caption: “Art performance by me. I love Maurizio Cattelan artwork and I really love this installation. It’s very delicious.”

In 2023, “Comedian” was eaten by a student from South Korea during an exhibit at the Leeum Museum Art in Seoul.

After eating the banana, he re-attached the duct tape to the wall.

Later, in an interview, he stated that he believed “damaging a work of modern art could also be (interpreted as) artwork.”

Last year, Justin Sun, a Chinese-born cryptocurrency founder, bought the artwork for $6.2 million then ate it in front of cameras.

“It’s much better than other bananas,” Sun said. 

“Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork’s history.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: https://newsjustnews.com/mattel-unveils-first-ever-barbie-doll-with-diabetes/

The artwork

“Comedian” has been exhibited at the Pompidou-Metz museum since May.

Since its debut in 2019, Cattelan’s art has sparked controversy.

According to Cattelan, “Comedian” is a criticism of the art market.

“It’s a provocation that invites us to reflect on the value of art and the dynamics of (this) market, pushing us to question what this work says about us as viewers,” Cattelan stated in an interview.

“It’s the market that has decided to take a banana stuck on the wall so seriously.”

“If the system is so frail to slip on a banana skin, maybe it was already slippery.”

Meanwhile, the founder of Perrotin, the gallery where “Comedian” is on exhibit, stated that “[t]he spectacle is as much a part of the work as the banana.”

“Whether affixed to the wall of an art fair booth or displayed on the cover of the New York Post, his work forces us to question how value is placed on material goods,” Perrotin stated.

READ NEXT: https://newsjustnews.com/spooky-season-in-august-wednesday-addams-returns-to-nevermore/