Comedian

Comedian is a 2019 artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Created in an edition of three, it appears as a fresh banana affixed to a wall with duct tape. As a work of conceptual art, it consists of a certificate of authenticity with detailed diagrams and instructions for its proper display. Two editions of the piece sold for US$120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach to significant media attention. The third edition was donated to the Guggenheim Museum. Background and description Maurizio Cattelan is an Italian artist known for his tongue-in-cheek art, such as his 2016 creation America, a fully functional golden toilet. He previously used duct tape suspension for A Perfect Day in 1999, fastening the art dealer Massimo De Carlo to a gallery wall. At the 2019 Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain art fair in Paris, the American conceptual interventionist Meth Fountain showed a half-eaten croissant affixed to the wall, predating Comedian by several months. Comedian is a piece consisting of a fresh banana duct taped to a wall. Cattelan purchased the bananas at a Miami grocery store for an estimated 30 cents. The work includes a certificate of authenticity along with detailed instructions for its proper display, intended for its owner to use when displaying the work. Both the banana and the duct tape can be replaced as needed; the physical representation of Comedian is not the work itself. It was Cattelan's first artwork for a fair in over 15 years. The piece was compared to Andy Warhol's 1967 pop art fruit. Emmanuel Perrotin, the gallerist exhibiting the work, stated Comedian is "a symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor". Reception Comedian created controversy, with some writers, such as Robin Pogrebin, questioning if it was even art. The Guardian called Comedian a "questionably genius work. ... It calls to mind the old Lucile Bluth Arrested Development gag about rich people not knowing the price of a banana." Artnet wrote the piece was one of the worst of the week, and that Cattelan "somehow duped a group of collectors into buying bananas duct-taped to walls for $120,000 a pop. Seriously." USA Today deadpanned, "This piece of art is bananas – literally." Newsweek called it "humorous minimalist artwork", while ARTnews asked whether the piece was cynical or thrilling. CBS News reported, "It may be the most talked-about artwork at this year's event." On December 13, the New York Post featured Comedian on its cover.