Controversial painting with banana hits market after 5 years, carrying sky-high price tag

Banana with duct tape

In 2019, renowned Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan unveiled his new installation titled Comedian. This piece featured a simple banana taped to a wall with gray duct tape. The artwork quickly gained popularity, sparking a social media frenzy and ongoing discussions about the meaning of art.

The piece was displayed at the Perrotin Gallery with a six-figure price tag. Although the banana was purchased from a Miami grocery store, the gallery stated that it could be replaced according to the artist’s instructions.

The art world was divided over the merits of the work, with some critics arguing that it is rooted in a rich tradition of conceptual art – dating back to Marcel Duchamp’s famous mounted urinal – that questions the very value of art itself. Soon, crowds formed as visitors lined up to see the viral installation.

The installation garnered widespread attention, with photos circulating across all media outlets and social networks. Then, an unexpected event occurred when performance artist David Datuna seized the banana from the wall, peeled it, and ate it in front of hundreds of stunned exhibition visitors. Datuna later stated that it was an artistic performance rather than an act of vandalism.

Eventually, the installation was taken down due to public safety concerns, and three versions of the banana were sold at auction.

Two were acquired by private collectors for $120,000 each, while the third was purchased for a higher (but undisclosed) amount and later donated to the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

In numerous interviews, Cattelan described Comedian as a work of commentary, stating that it is not a joke, but rather a reflection of what we value.

Cattelan spent a year working on his installation. Initially, he aimed to create a fruit sculpture from resin or bronze but struggled to finalize his creation. Ultimately, he ended up with an installation featuring a real banana from a grocery store in Miami.

The banana with tape sparked a frenzy online, leading to countless imitators from around the world. The banana itself became part of thousands of memes, while the concept of taping a product to the wall was adopted by numerous brands. This phenomenon not only highlighted the intersection of art and consumerism but also showcased how a simple idea could resonate widely, prompting discussions about the value of art and its accessibility.

The artwork Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan (photo: Getty Images)

New price for the banana installation

Sotheby’s auction house has announced that one of the first three copies of Comedian is returning to auction, this time with an estimated value of one and a half million dollars.

For this price, the winning bidder will receive a roll of tape and one banana, along with a certificate of authenticity and official installation instructions. Sotheby’s clarifies that neither the tape nor, thankfully, the banana is original.

Comedian is a conceptual artwork, and the actual physical materials change with each installation, according to an auction representative.

The seller’s identity remains undisclosed, and the auction is set for November. The current owner acquired the piece from the collection of one of the original buyers.

“Balancing profound critical thought and subversive wit, this is a defining work for the artist and for our generation. If at its core, Comedian questions the very notion of the value of art, then putting the work at auction… will be the ultimate realization of its essential conceptual idea – the public will finally have a say in deciding its true value,” stated David Galperin, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art for the Americas.

Before the sale, the artwork will be exhibited at the auction house’s headquarters in New York. Afterward, Comedian will embark on a world tour, stopping in London, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.

Provocative Maurizio Cattelan

Italian self-taught artist Maurizio Cattelan is renowned for his provocative and shocking approach to art, which extends to all his endeavors. Besides being a sculptor, he is particularly known for his extravagant life-sized wax figures.

Cattelan’s work often includes original and frequently controversial projects, such as the infamous headless horses that appear to crash into walls. He has also staged shocking performances, like setting fire to baby strollers, hanging wax figures of children in a Milan park, and placing a wax figure of Hitler on his knees in a corner.

One of his most audacious creations is a functional toilet made entirely of 18-karat gold. In 2014, Cattelan collaborated with the Italian company Gufram to produce a limited series of furniture inspired by his artworks. This collection included a pouf shaped like a bitten soap bar, stools resembling tombstones, and cactus-shaped coat hangers.

Through these provocative works, Cattelan challenges societal norms and perceptions of art, leaving a lasting impact on the contemporary art world.

Earlier, we reported that scientists discovered intriguing patterns in a Van Gogh painting.

We also shared that a hidden sketch was found beneath the 500-year-old masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.