Someone ate this Italian artist's $6M banana again. Wait what?
What's the story
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's $6 million artwork "Comedian," featuring a banana taped to a wall, was eaten by a visitor at the Centre-Pompidou Metz in France on July 12. The museum confirmed the incident yesterday, stating that its security team responded quickly and followed internal procedures. The banana, which is replaced regularly as per Cattelan's instructions, symbolizes a perishable element of the artwork.
Interpretation
What does the 'Comedian' express?
Centre-Pompidou Metz said the artist was disappointed that the visitor considered the fruit to be the artwork, instead of eating the skin and tape that held it in place. The museum clarified that Cattelan intended "Comedian" to highlight "absurdity of financial speculation and fragility of knowledge systems that underpin the art market." This isn't the first time this piece has been eaten. In 2019, performance artist David Datuna ate a banana from "Comedian" at Art Basel Miami, and went viral.
Auction
Artwork sold for $6.24M last time
Datuna's act didn't stop the artwork from being sold with a replacement banana for $120,000 at the fair. In 2023, an art student in Seoul also ate a banana from "Comedian." The piece was then auctioned off to billionaire Justin Sun for $6.24 million in November 2024. The Centre-Pompidou Metz has noted that "for now, it is perhaps the 'most-eaten' artwork of the last 30 years."