Art Banana - What Made It Special?(Explained)

When a banana that was duct taped to a wall sold for $120,000, not everyone understood the artistic inspiration behind the piece. The banana was a part of an exhibit by renowned Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's at Art Basel Miami Beach. The piece was titled "Comedian." The artist is also known for his $6 million 18-karat-gold toilet which was stolen from the Blenheim Palace earlier this year. A first edition for Comedian apparently came from a local Miami supermarket and sold to a French collector for $120,000 USD by Perrotin, an international art gallery, according to Artnet’s site. A second edition sold to another French connoisseur for the same price, while a third edition of the work will reportedly sell for a staggering $150,000 USD.

Comedian is currently on display at the Galerie Perrotin booth at the Basel fair. Gallery owner Emmanuel Perrotin called the phenomenon a “miracle,” adding “I don’t know how this happened!” Perrotin went on to tell CNN the banana is “a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor,” explaining that they’re vehicles of both “critique and delight.” And at the end David Datuna, an installation and performance artist from Georgia, peeled off the art piece from the wall on Saturday and ate it while hundreds of stunned onlookers watched.

[isializada]

doing better as always.. it is not just a banana for me anymore :) thanks for the explanation!

[wiskadjak]

I disagree with your statement that society decides what is art. It is the cultural gatekeepers who tell society what is art. If I dumped a bag of lawn clippings on a gallery floor I would be prosecuted. If an "artist" approved by the gallery owner did the same it would be art. In fact, not only do the gatekeepers decide what is art but who gets to be an artist. I maintain that their criteria for both are completely arbitrary.

[Surajitmegabluster]

It's not art, It's waste of money.If you look at Asian African continent people are dying for hunger and you are paying Million for a Banana.

[diederikschip]

You know what else you can do with the banana?