It’s undoubtedly the most infamous duct-taped banana in the world. In fact, you could argue that Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian” is a celebrity itself, given its adoring fans, haters, and the buckets of money that follow it around.
On Wednesday, “Comedian” is expected to make a splash once more when it’s auctioned by Sotheby’s. The artwork’s presale price is listed as between $1 million and $1.5 million, though experts say it could go for far beyond that amount. Five years after its debut and many bananas later, the questions evoked by “Comedian” are still as fascinating as ever.
The most important is obvious: How on Earth did a duct-taped banana turn into the Taylor Swift of the art world?
The $120,000 duct-taped banana. Cattelan, an Italian artist known for using humor an irony in his art, debuted “Comedian” at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. It quickly made waves among art insiders and the public. In fact, it drew so many people that the artist and his gallery eventually took it down, citing safety concerns (there was also an incident where another artist ate the banana).
Cattelan produced three editions of “Comedian,” all of which were sold for between $120,000 to $150,000 each. He also produced two additional artist’s proofs. Materials for the work were sourced locally, with Cattelan saying he bought the bananas for about $0.30.
Discarding bronze and resin. While it may seem like a piece of art that anyone could have created, Cattelan told Art Net that he had worked on the idea for the piece for about a year, previously creating versions in bronze and resin. However, those versions didn’t feel right to the artist.
“Wherever I was traveling I had this banana on the wall. I couldn’t figure out how to finish it,” Cattelan said. “In the end, one day I woke up and I said, ‘the banana is supposed to be a banana.'”
Why he chose a banana and duct tape. Cattelan explained that he used a banana in “Comedian” because he wanted something that would “symbolize my love of New York,” which is where he lives.
“There was a time when the Greek coffee cups were everywhere, and I thought somehow the banana was something that now you can find at every street corner,” the artist told Vulture. “And [my thinking about this] goes on forever from there—but for sure an eggplant, say, would not have been so effective.”
As for the duct tape, it also has a sort of poetic meaning. “In my apartment, the pipes are held together with it—I always say that I’d be more concerned if I ran out of that tape than out of toilet paper.”
“I could play within the system, but with own rules.” As expected, “Comedian” generated a variety of responses. Some critics loved it, others hated it. It also spurred a conversation about what constitutes as art.
While it may be easy to pass off the piece as a viral joke, for Cattelan, it was anything but.
“To me, Comedian was not a joke; it was a sincere commentary and a reflection on what we value. At art fairs, speed and business reign, so I saw it like this: if I had to be at a fair, I could sell a banana like others sell their paintings. I could play within the system, but with my rules,” he said in 2021.
The artist goes on to say that he wanted the piece to generate conversations on what really matters.
“We are surrounded by conversations based on immaterial structures, social values and hierarchies that we created, but usually we prefer to forget this; it’s like being anaesthetized,” he said.
Spoiler: You’re not really buying duct tape and a banana. Obviously, the original bananas Cattelan used for the pieces in 2019 are long gone. As such, the person who buys “Comedian” is really buying a certificate of authenticity signed by Cattelan. This certificate gives the buyer the right to reproduce “Comedian,” which comes with detailed installation instructions. As an extra, the buyer will also receive a banana and a roll of duct tape.
Whatever the result of the auction is, “Comedian” will continue to make an impact. It forces us to question the value we assign to things, especially those things that would be considered ordinary under any other circumstances.
Images | Sotheby's
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