Visitor consumes banana from $6.2 million art installation in French museum
A visitor to the Centre Pompidou-Metz, a contemporary art museum in eastern France, removed and consumed a banana that was part of the installation "Comedian" by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.
The man was reportedly astonished to learn that the art object was valued at $6.2 million. Consequently, he peeled the fruit and calmly ate it. According to museum staff, security personnel responded to the incident, but no formal complaints were filed against the visitor.
The museum subsequently announced that the banana was simply replaced. This is in accordance with the artist's conceptual design, as the fruit is perishable. The incident did not impact the exhibition or cause any damage to the artwork. The artist responded to the event with irony, noting that the visitor "mistook the fruit for the work itself," as reported by the regional newspaper, Republicain Lorrain.
The art object "Comedian," which consists of a banana taped to a wall, was sold at auction for $6.2 million on November 21, 2024. At the time, the fruit itself cost merely 35 cents, having been purchased from an elderly vendor named Shah Alam at a New York market. One week after its acquisition, the installation was consumed by Chinese crypto-millionaire Justin Sun.
ORIENT
