By Anna Zhila, artist, art and music critic
A visitor to a French museum has eaten a well-known piece of art: a fresh banana taped to a wall. The work, by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, is titled “Comedian.”
The incident happened at the Centre-Pompidou Metz in eastern France on July 12th.
A Calm Reaction
According to a statement from the museum, security staff acted quickly and calmly. The artwork was put back on display just a few minutes later.
The gallery explained that the banana itself is just one part of the piece. It is a perishable element that, under the artist’s instructions, gets replaced on a regular basis.
The museum also shared the artist's disappointment. Apparently, the visitor only ate the fruit, overlooking the skin and the tape that held it to the wall. No police report was filed.
A History of Being Eaten
This is not the first time someone has eaten the artwork. In fact, it’s becoming something of a pattern.
The first incident was in 2019 at the Art Basel Miami fair. A performance artist named David Datuna pulled the banana from the wall and ate it in front of a large crowd. That version of the work later sold for $120,000.
Then, in 2023, an art student did the same thing at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea. More recently, a collector who bought another version of the piece for over $6 million also consumed the banana.
What’s the Point?
“Comedian” is meant to be a comment on the art market. It highlights the often-absurd ways in which value is created and agreed upon.
As the Centre-Pompidou Metz noted, it may now be the “most-eaten” artwork of the last few decades.
