Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian": The art world's delicious dilemma

On 20 November, at Sotheby's in New York, one of the most prestigious auction houses in the world, Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" will be put up for sale. This piece of conceptual art has been valued at 750,000 to 3.8 million pounds. First shown at Art Basel, "Comedian" is a ripe banana taped to the wall with duct tape.

After its unveiling in 2019, the piece appeared on the cover of "The New York Post" and had to be removed from the exhibition before the end of the Art Basel fair due to the immense crowds it attracted. David Galperin, head of the contemporary art department at Sotheby's, stated in a press release: "The most influential and radical artworks of the last century have had the power to fundamentally shift perceptions around the nature of art itself. In this spirit, Comedian is a defiant work of pure genius. Balancing profound critical thought and subversive wit, this is a defining work for the artist and for our generation."

Galperin emphasized: "With a single brilliant gesture, Cattelan rocked the foundations of the art world, and brought art to the centre of mainstream popular culture."

In an interview with The Art Newspaper in 2021, Cattelan said about the banana installation: "For me, The Comedian wasn’t a joke;It was a sincere commentary and reflection on what we value." The piece was created specifically for the fair in Miami. Cattelan explained: "Art fairs are all about speed and business, so I saw it this way: if I were at a fair, I could sell bananas the way other people sell their paintings. I could play the system, but by my own rules."

When the piece was displayed at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, in 2023, it was eaten. An art student from a local university peeled off the fruit, ate it, and then taped the peel back to the wall. After the incident, a gallery spokesman commented to CNN: "The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry." The museum replaced the banana with a new one. All the physical elements of "Comedian" are interchangeable. The concept determines the value of the work and, most importantly, the emotions it evokes.