Security at the Centre-Pompidou Metz museum responded "calmly and quickly" after a visitor ate the banana from the artwork "Comedian" on July 12, the museum said on 21/7. The artwork was restored within minutes, according to established procedures.

The museum explained that the banana is a "perishable element" and regularly replaced according to the artist Maurizio Cattelan's instructions.

Cattelan expressed disappointment that the visitor only saw the banana as art, while the peel and tape are integral to the piece. "The visitor should have eaten the banana and the tape. Instead, they only ate the fruit," Cattelan said.

Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" on display in New York on 25/10. Photo: AFP

Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" on display in New York on 25/10. Photo: AFP

"Comedian" has sparked debate about the value of art. The piece has been auctioned multiple times. In 2019, two French collectors bought versions for 120,000 USD each. A third version sold for an undisclosed higher price and was donated to a New York museum.

In November 2024, Chinese collector Justin Sun outbid six others, paying 6.2 million USD, four times the estimated price. Sun received the banana, tape, a signed certificate, and instructions for replacing the banana when it deteriorates.

In a 2021 interview with Art Newspaper, Cattelan described the work as "not a joke," calling it "a reflection on what we value."

This isn't the first time "Comedian" has been targeted. In 2019, artist David Datuna ate the banana at Art Basel in Miami, minutes after it sold for 120,000 USD. In May 2023, a student at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul ate the banana "because he was hungry," then taped the peel back. The museum replaced the banana. Sun also ate the banana after purchasing it in November 2024.

According to the Centre-Pompidou Metz, "Comedian" is "perhaps the most eaten artwork of the last 30 years."

Nhu Tam (CNN, France 24)