Latest news with #Cattelan
Euronews
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Cattelan's ‘Comedian' banana eaten again at French museum in Metz
It's happened again. Someone walked into a museum, spotted Maurizio Cattelan's banana-taped-to-a-wall artwork, and decided to tuck in. This time, the setting was the Centre Pompidou-Metz in eastern France, where the infamous 'Comedian' (2019) has been on display since May as part of a major retrospective marking the museum's 15th anniversary. A visitor reportedly peeled the banana off the wall and ate it, before security 'rapidly and calmly intervened,' according to a statement from the museum on Friday. The gallery didn't seem especially bothered. 'The artwork was reinstalled a few minutes later,' it said, adding that the banana is a perishable item and is 'regularly replaced according to instructions from the artist.' Cattelan, never one to miss an opportunity for deadpan commentary, told French news agency AFP he was disappointed the visitor hadn't fully committed. 'Instead of eating the banana with its skin and duct tape, the visitor just consumed the fruit,' he said, adding that they had 'confused the fruit for the work of art.' This is at least the fourth time 'Comedian' has been consumed since its debut at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, where it made headlines and prompted eye-rolls in equal measure. The original version was sold for $120,000 (€103,000) by Galerie Perrotin – and not long after, performance artist David Datuna plucked it from the wall and ate it, saying he was simply 'hungry.' Since then, 'Comedian' has become one of the most talked-about – and eaten – pieces of conceptual art in recent memory. In 2023, an art student at Seoul National University helped themselves to the banana during a Cattelan show at the Leeum Museum of Art, also citing hunger. And in 2024, Chinese tech entrepreneur Justin Sun bought an edition of the work at Sotheby's for $6.24 million (€5.3 million), then ate the banana at a press conference nine days later. A post shared by David Datuna (@david_datuna) Despite the snackable nature of the work, each sale includes a certificate of authenticity and detailed instructions for replacement – meaning what's on the wall is technically never the original banana, but part of the artwork's ongoing life cycle. 'For now, it is perhaps the most-eaten artwork of the last 30 years,' the Centre Pompidou-Metz quipped in its statement. So far, no police reports have been filed and no bans have been announced. For now, the fruit's back on the wall – and it may only be a matter of time before someone else gets peckish.
New York Post
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Artist's infamous $6M banana that was duct-taped to a museum wall meets a tragic fate — again: ‘The security team acted quickly and calmly'
It's bananas! A popular and pricey piece of art has been eaten — yet again. 4 The artwork titled 'Comedian' has been eaten for the fourth time. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement Maurizio Cattelan's 'Comedian' — which features a real banana duct taped to a wall — has been replicated by the artist several times, most recently fetching a phenomenal $6.2 million at auction at Sotheby's in New York City. Apparently, hungry art appreciators can't peel themselves away. A version of the weird work that has been on display at the Centre-Pompidou Metz in France since early May was gobbled up by a visitor on July 12, according to a statement from the museum. Advertisement However, both the gallery and artist seemed unbothered. 'The security team acted quickly and calmly,' the gallery said in the statement. A fresh banana was taped to the wall a few minutes later. The gallery noted that the fruit is 'only a perishable element' of the artwork — to be replaced regularly as per Cattelan's instructions. 4 The piece has been replicated by the artist several times and most recently fetched a phenomenal $6.2 million at auction at Sotheby's in New York City. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement The artist wasn't necessarily upset that the banana was eaten; he reportedly was more disappointed that the gallery-goer 'confused the fruit for the work of art' and left the peel and tape untasted. The conceptual comestible, which first debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, has been said to offer a commentary on the ridiculousness of the art world, with its meaning tied to the money and fanfare it attracts — with many articles written about the edible effort since it was unveiled. 'In that way, the work becomes self-reflexive: The higher the price, the more it reinforces its original concept,' Cattelan told the New York Times. Advertisement 'Comedian' has peeled back the pretensions of the creative industry, with Sotheby's saying it has 'single-handedly prompted the world to reconsider how we define art, and the value we seek in it.' Cattelan previously garnered attention for creating a working 18-carat-gold toilet worth $3.5 million called 'America,' intended to poke fun at the US for its excessive wealth. The original 'Comedian' banana was eaten by performance artist David Datuna during the piece's Miami debut — describing the act as a performance piece titled 'Hungry Artist.' The stunt attracted a whole bunch of attention and became one of the art world's biggest viral moments. The work sold — with replacement banana —for $120,000 at the fair. 4 A version of the art piece that has been on display at the Centre-Pompidou Metz in eastern France since early May was eaten by a visitor on July 12, according to a statement from the museum. Stefano Giovannini Over the years, the artwork has garnered global headlines and even appeared on the cover of The Post. In 2023, an art student took the banana from the wall at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, and bit into it. Advertisement The next year, Justin Sun, a Chinese collector and founder of a cryptocurrency platform, acquired 'Comedian' for $6.24 million at auction — and took a bite. 4 The conceptual piece, which first debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, offers a commentary on the ridiculousness of the art world, with its meaning tied to the money and fanfare it attracts. AFP via Getty Images So while it's an original piece, eating it isn't an original idea. 'For now, it is perhaps the 'most-eaten' artwork of the last 30 years,' Centre-Pompidou Metz said in the statement.
Hypebeast
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Maurizio Cattelan Can't Keep a Banana on the Wall
Summary It was only a matter of time before someone took another 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 exhibitionEndless 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-Metz1 Parv. des Droits de l'HommeCS 90490, 57000Metz, France
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
World's priciest banana gets eaten in France
The artwork was bought for $6.2M last year. Photo: AFP A visitor to a French museum bit into a fresh banana worth millions of dollars taped to a wall last week, exhibitors said on Friday, in the latest such consumption of the conceptual artwork. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan – whose provocative creation entitled Comedian was bought for $6.2 million in New York last year – said he was disappointed the person did not also eat the skin and the tape. After the hungry visitor struck on Saturday last week, "security staff rapidly and calmly intervened," the Pompidou-Metz museum in eastern France said. The work was "reinstalled within minutes", it added. Cattelan noted the banana-eater had "confused the fruit for the work of art". "Instead of eating the banana with its skin and duct tape, the visitor just consumed the fruit," he said. Cattelan's edible creation has sparked controversy ever since it made its debut at the 2019 Art Basel show in Miami Beach. He has explained the banana work as a commentary on the art market, which he has criticised in the past for being speculative and failing to help artists. The New York Post said the asking price of $120,000 for Comedian in 2019 was evidence that the market was "bananas" and the art world had "gone mad". Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun last year forked out $6.2 million for the work, then ate it in front of cameras. As well as his banana work, Cattelan is also known for producing an 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called America that was offered to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House. A British court in March found two men guilty of stealing it during an exhibition in 2020 in the United Kingdom, from an 18th-century stately home that was the birthplace of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill. It was split up into parts and none of the gold was ever recovered.
Observer
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Observer
France museum-goer eats million-dollar banana taped to wall
A visitor to a French museum bit into a fresh banana worth millions of dollars taped to a wall last week, exhibitors said on Friday, in the latest such consumption of the conceptual artwork. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan -- whose provocative creation entitled "Comedian" was bought for $6.2 million in New York last year -- said he was disappointed the person did not also eat the skin and the tape. After the hungry visitor struck on Saturday last week, "security staff rapidly and calmly intervened," the Pompidou-Metz museum in eastern France said. The work was "reinstalled within minutes", it added. "As the fruit is perishable, it is regularly replaced according to instructions from the artist." Cattelan noted the banana-eater had "confused the fruit for the work of art". "Instead of eating the banana with its skin and duct tape, the visitor just consumed the fruit," he said. Cattelan's edible creation has sparked controversy ever since it made its debut at the 2019 Art Basel show in Miami Beach. He has explained the banana work as a commentary on the art market, which he has criticised in the past for being speculative and failing to help artists. The New York Post said the asking price of $120,000 for "Comedian" in 2019 was evidence that the market was "bananas" and the art world had "gone mad". It has been eaten before. Performance artist David Datuna ate "Comedian" in 2019, saying he felt "hungry" while inspecting it at the Miami show. Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun last year forked out $6.2 million for the work, then ate it in front of cameras. As well as his banana work, Cattelan is also known for producing an 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called "America" that was offered to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House. A British court in March found two men guilty of stealing it during an exhibition in 2020 in the United Kingdom, from an 18th-century stately home that was the birthplace of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill. It was split up into parts and none of the gold was ever recovered. —AFP
