Student eats banana artwork taped to museum wall because ‘he was hungry’
For some, the chance to see a banana taped to a wall means being a touch away from a sensational moment in recent art history. For others, it’s a tempting snack.
On Thursday, an art student at Seoul National University found it was the latter when he pulled the fruit — an iconic work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — off a wall at the Leeum Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea, where it was on display. He then proceeded to swallow it.
“The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry,” a museum spokesman told CNN in a phone call.
Titled Comedian, the work became one of the art world’s biggest viral moments when it sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2019. Two other editions of the work were also sold at the fair.
After eating the fruit, the South Korean student taped the peel back to the wall. The peel was later replaced by the museum with a fresh banana.
The consequences of the accident. credit: shwan.han/Instagram
“It happened suddenly, so no special action was taken. The artist (Cattelan) was informed of the incident but did not react in any way,” the museum spokesperson added.
The work is part of the solo exhibition of Cattelan WE, i.e currently running at the Seoul-based museum until July 16. The banana itself is regularly changed every two to three days, and not for sale.
Cattelan is known for his satirical works works that challenge popular culture, often provoking debates surrounding conceptual art.
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s “The Comedian” is on display at the Leeum Art Museum until July 16 in Seoul, South Korea credit: Kim Kyoungtae/Maurizio Cattelan/Leeum Art Museum
It wasn’t the first time someone thought the work was ripe for the picking.
Ahead of the high-profile art sale, Perrotin told CNN that bananas are “a symbol of global trade, ambiguity, as well as a classic vehicle for humor,” adding that Cattelan turns ordinary objects into “vehicles of both delight and criticism.” The the artist did not provide potential buyers with instructions on what to do when the work began to decompose.
Someone ate a $120,000 banana that an artist had taped to the wall
Morford, who is representing himself, registered the work with the US Copyright Office and posted the work on his website, Facebook and YouTube accounts long before Cattelan created Comedian, according to court documents.
Cattelan’s lawyers argued that Morford did not have a “valid copyright” on the elements of the work – the banana and tape taped to the wall.
Above image caption: ‘The Comedian’, a 2019 artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, is seen in Seoul, South Korea.
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