The Comedian
Maurizio Cattelan, 2019
Centre Pompidou, Metz
Conceptual art might be an acquired taste and maybe it tastes like banana.
Although this work appears as a piece of fruit stuck to the wall, in reality it only consists of a certificate of authenticity with detailed diagrams and instructions for its proper display; a fresh banana duct taped to a wall exactly 1.6 metres above the floor.
The Metz Centre Pompidou added to the display by placing it in a small room by itself, with an illuminated marquis above the entry way, like an old time cinema or casino, enhancing the idea of grandeur of art that is juxtaposed by the normalness of the banana.
Eaten
The Comedian has been on display since early May 2025 at the Pompidou’s outpost in the city of Metz, eastern France, and in July 2025 a museum-goer did the inevitable by prying the banana from the wall, peeling back its skin, and eating it.
In a characteristically tongue-and-cheek retort, the Italian artist-provocateur said he was disappointed the banana muncher did not also consume the work’s skin and tape. The museum-goer, Cattelan noted, had clearly “confused the fruit for the work of art” and hadn’t gone far enough.
The Pompidou-Metz was equally unfazed. It noted that its security staff was quickly on the scene and had “rapidly and calmly intervened” and that the banana was promptly reinstalled within a matter of minutes. No big deal, the museum continued, the fruit is perishable and is “regularly replaced according to instructions from the artist.”
Photographs by Onno Maat
About the artist
Maurizio Cattelan (21 September 1960) is an Italian visual artist. Known primarily for his hyperrealistic sculptures and installations, Cattelan's practice also includes curating and publishing. His satirical approach to art has resulted in him being frequently labelled as a joker or prankster of the art world. Self-taught as an artist, Cattelan has exhibited internationally in museums and Biennials. Maurizio Cattelan created his most important works of art at Viale Bligny 42 in Milan, where he lived for many years.
Humour and satire are at the core of Cattelan's work. He has been described by Jonathan P. Binstock, curator of contemporary art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, "as one of the great post-Duchampian artists and a smartass, too". Discussing the topic of originality with ethnographer, Sarah Thornton, Cattelan explained, "Originality doesn't exist by itself. It is an evolution of what is produced. ... Originality is about your capacity to add." His work is often based on simple puns or subverts clichéd situations by, for example, substituting animals for people in sculptural tableaux. "Frequently morbidly fascinating, Cattelan's humour sets his work above the visual pleasure one-liners," wrote Carol Vogel of The New York Times.