Maurizio Cattelan's viral $6m duct-taped banana reportedly eaten again

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s viral artwork, titled ‘Comedian,’ which consists of a banana duct-taped to a wall, has been targeted by a viewer again. A member of the public at the Centre Pompidou-Metz in Lorraine, France, ate Cattelan’s banana on July 12.

In a statement to the press, the museum shared details of the incident. As per CNN, the gallery said that it responded to the incident with protocol, and added:

“The security team acted quickly and calmly, according to internal procedures. The artwork was reinstalled a few minutes later.”

CNN noted that the Centre Pompidou-Metz explained that as the banana is “only a perishable element,” the artist has left instructions on how to restore it, and the gallery regularly replaces it. The Centre Pompidou-Metz has not filed a police report of the incident.

Cattelan himself responded to the incident and was reportedly disappointed that the person who ate the banana did not consume the skin of the fruit as well as the duct tape, as per Artnet. Cattelan felt that he had “confused the fruit for the work of art,” noted Artnet.

‘Comedian’ has been displayed at the Centre Pompidou-Metz as part of an exhibition ‘Endless Sunday,’ which began in May 2025 to mark the gallery’s 15th anniversary, and will continue till February 2027.

 

 

 

 

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This is not the first time that Maurizio Cattelan’s artwork has been eaten

Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘Comedian’ first debuted in 2019 at the Art Basel fair in Miami Beach, as per New York Post. At the time, a performance artist named David Datuna performed the stunt of grabbing the displayed banana and eating it, even giving the incident the title of ‘Hungry Artist,’ according to New York Post. It was sold for $120,000 at the time.

In 2023, while displayed in Seoul, South Korea, the banana was again eaten by a student, noted Dexerto.

In November 2024, art collector Justin Sun bought the artwork at an auction for a whopping $6.24 million, and ended up eating the banana, as per CNN.

 

 

 

 

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What does ‘Comedian’ signify?

Maurizio Catalan has been vocal about the ‘Comedian’s’ intent to critique the hyper-commercial art industry. During a conversation with Art Newspaper, the artist reflected on his piece and said:

“To me, Comedian was not a joke; it was a sincere commentary and a reflection on what we value. At art fairs, speed and business reign, so I saw it like this: if I had to be at a fair, I could sell a banana like others sell their paintings. I could play within the system, but with my rules. I can’t say how people will react, but I hope these new works will break up the normal viewing habits and open a discussion on what really matters.”

Cattelan also commented on the virality of ‘Comedian,’ and life in the digital world, and added,

“We are surrounded by conversations based on immaterial structures, social values and hierarchies that we created, but usually we prefer to forget this; it’s like being anaesthetised…We live in a society where people take in information at an unprecedented speed; everything is talked about. If no one is talking about it, it becomes uninteresting. This has only been heightened in the pandemic. Even controversy can be a tool, as long as the controversy is surrounding the reaction, and not the content, of the work.”

Maurizio Catalan has produced other notable artworks such as ‘La Nona Ora’ (1999) and ‘America’ (2016).