Storm Rages The Artworld and It Involves A Banana

Art Basel Miami removes Cattelan’s $120K banana after being eaten by a performance artist.

POSTED BY LUDOVICA PICARDI

If you haven’t heard about the crazy news that shocked the entire art-community, you probably don't know about the banana displayed in the world-famous art gallery, Art Basel Miami Beach.

Nope, we’re not talking about Warhol’s banana, but the work created by the contemporary artist, Maurizio Cattelan recently sold for $120K.

This installation, called “Comedian”, was then eaten by David Datuna, a New York based artist.
Picture this: he strips the duct-taped banana off to the wall, peels and eats it in front of the bewildered crowd. 

What looked like pure vandalism was justified by the David Datuna himself, who explained on his Instagram account that it was an art performance, also adding that “it was very delicious”. 

The pricey snack instantly drew the attention of all fair-goers, gallery staff and media, reportedly causing "several uncontrollable crowd movements and the placement of the work on our booth compromised the safety of the artwork around us”.

Whether it was done out in the name of art or not, the work was eventually removed from the gallery. 
So what now?

Obviously, those who spent a fortune on that banana aren’t going home with empty hands: each piece came with a Certificate of Authenticity that allows the owners to replace them with any other, since it’s Cattelan’s idea that they were buying, rather than the banana itself.

 

Next Up, Extinction Rebellion Glue Themselves To London Road In A Fight On Air Pollution 

 

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