Maurizio Cattelan Can't Keep a Banana on the Wall
“The Comedian” gets devoured again, this time at Centre-Pompidou-Metz.
Summary
- Maurizio Cattelan’s banana artwork “The Comedian” gets devoured again, this time at Centre-Pompidou-Metz
- The piece has been eaten multiple times from a viral act by artist David Datuna in Miami to a hungry student at Seoul’s Leeum Museum in 2023
It was only a matter of time before someone took another bite. Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous banana artwork “The Comedian” has once again been consumed and this time at the Centre Pompidou-Metz in eastern France.
The fruit, taped to a wall as part of the museum’s current exhibition Endless Sunday, was swiftly devoured by a visitor over the weekend. Security responded quickly. Within minutes, the banana was replaced, business as usual.
Artnet reported: “In a characteristically tongue-and-cheek retort, the Italian artist-provocateur said he was disappointed the banana muncher did not also consume the work’s skin and tape. The museum-goer, Cattelan noted, had clearly ‘confused the fruit for the work of art’ and hadn’t gone far enough.”
Since its debut at Art Basel Miami in 2019, “The Comedian” has sparked debate, confusion and no shortage of social media engagement. Originally sold for up to $150,000 USD with a certificate of authenticity, the piece has since been eaten multiple times from a viral act by artist David Datuna in Miami to a hungry student at Seoul’s Leeum Museum in 2023.
Despite the drama, institutions remain unfazed. The banana, after all, comes with clear replacement instructions. According to the Pompidou-Metz, the work will continue to hang until the exhibition ends in 2027.
Centre Pompidou-Metz
1 Parv. des Droits de l’Homme
CS 90490, 57000
Metz, France
