Hungry museum guest eats artist’s viral $6M duct-taped banana… again
Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous duct-taped banana has been eaten yet again.
On July 12, a visitor at the Centre Pompidou-Metz in France consumed the fruit portion of The Comedian, the same viral artwork that sold for over $6 million in 2024 and has sparked global debate since its Art Basel debut in 2019.
According to a statement from the museum, staff “acted quickly and calmly” after the act. The banana was replaced within minutes.
“[The banana] is only a perishable element,” the museum noted, adding that replacements follow precise instructions from the artist himself.
Viral $6.2M banana eaten by gallery guest
Cattelan was reportedly disappointed that the visitor mistook the fruit for the entire artwork and didn’t eat the skin or tape either.
No charges have been pressed, and the piece continues to hang as intended. The gallery says it hasn’t even filed a police report.
The Comedian is meant to mock the absurdity of art speculation and the systems that prop it up. It’s become a magnet for viral moments, having been previously devoured by artist David Datuna in Miami and a student in Seoul in 2023.
In 2024, crypto billionaire Justin Sun purchased the piece for $6.2 million before eating the banana himself.
Centre Pompidou-Metz says the artwork will remain on display until February 2, 2027 when the viral exhibition ultimately ends.
“For now,” the museum said, “it is perhaps the most-eaten artwork of the last 30 years.”
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