The Pompidou-Metz museum in eastern France, a branch of the famous Pompidou Centre in Paris, reported the theft of Maurizio Cattelan’s provocative artwork “Comedian” – which many know as the banana that’s been taped to a wall.
Valued at €5.8 million, the conceptual artwork by celebrated Italian artist went missing this weekend, with a security guard noticing the theft on Sunday.
Now, the Pompidou-Metz museum has not only replaced the banana (something which occurs every three days to keep the fruit fresh) but also lodged a criminal complaint for theft against persons unknown.
It decided to make the criminal complaint because the perpetrator was unidentified, and therefore “there is no possibility of dialogue”. The musuem also said that “this is the second time this has happened” and it felt it was an issue of respect for the artwork.
In July last year, a visitor to the museum ate the fruit – an action which led Cattelan to say that he was disappointed the hungry visitor had consumed only the banana and not the tape as well. The museum did not take legal action in that instance.
Cattelan’s edible creation, which aims to question the notion of art and its value, has sparked controversy ever since its debut at the 2019 Art Basel show in Miami Beach with an asking price of $120,000.
A performance artist, David Datuna, ate “Comedian” at that 2019 show, saying he felt “hungry”.
The infamous artwork was also eaten by a museum visitor in Seoul in 2023.
Despite controversy surrounding “Comedian”, the work’s value has only risen over the years.
Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun forked out €5.8 million for one iteration of the work in 2024. Days later, he ate it in front of cameras in Hong Kong, highlighting a lot of things – some good, some stupid, some to do with the “protocol artwork” nature of “Comedian”. Indeed, its value lies in its certificate of authenticity and the very precise hanging protocol. The banana – any banana – must be fixed 1.72 metres above the floor and tilted at an angle of 37 degrees.
Cattelan is also known for producing other thought-provoking works centering on the value of art and the absurdity of our times. These include an 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called “America”, which was offered to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.
A British court found two men guilty of stealing it during an exhibition in 2020 in the UK. It was split up into parts and none of the gold was ever recovered.
For his latest work, Cattelan invited people to confess, with absolution at stake… To mark the start of Easter 2026 and the 21st anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death, the artist set up a special hotline, as well as made a limited edition of his most provocative and widely debated work… 666 of them.
For the time being, no further news on the banana’s whereabouts, or the identity of the hungry thief.
Credit: euronews
