Paris, Cattelan's banana disappears again: theft report at the Pompidou-Metz Museum
The museum, a branch of the famous Pompidou Centre in Paris, announced that it had filed a complaint against unknown persons for theft
New twist around 'Comedian', the famous and controversial work by the Padua artist Maurizio Cattelan, consisting of a banana fixed to the wall with adhesive tape. The Pompidou-Metz Museum in eastern France reported the theft of the fruit, the central element of the art installation valued at millions of dollars, to the authorities. The disappearance was discovered by a security guard on Saturday.
Today, the museum, a branch of the famous Pompidou Centre in Paris, announced that it had filed a complaint against unknown persons for theft. In the meantime, the banana has been promptly replaced. This is not the first time that the work has ended up at the centre of similar incidents. In fact, the very nature of 'Comedian' requires that the fruit be replaced every three days, in order to preserve its appearance and conceptual meaning. In July last year, a visitor had even eaten the banana on display.
On that occasion, the museum staff had quickly intervened and replaced it without legal consequences. With his usual irony, Cattelan commented on the incident, saying he was disappointed that the visitor had only eaten the banana and not also the adhesive tape that held it to the wall. This time, however, the museum took a different line. "Since the person responsible has not been identified, there is no possibility of dialogue," explained the directors of the cultural institution, emphasising that this was the second similar incident and a matter of respect for the work.
First presented at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019 with a starting price of $120,000, 'Comedian' has become one of the most provocative contemporary art symbols. The work aims to question the public about the very concept of art and the value placed on artistic objects. The installation's notoriety has grown thanks to sensational episodes. During its first exhibition in Miami, the performer David Datuna ate the banana in front of visitors, claiming that he was simply hungry.
Market interest, however, has never waned. In 2024, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun bought a version of the work for $5.2 million and, a few days later, consumed the banana in front of cameras in Hong Kong.
