Maurizio Cattelan banana stolen again

Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian,” the conceptual work made of a banana and duct tape, was stolen again from the Centre Pompidou-Metz in eastern France over the weekend, according to art publications and the museum’s own account. The missing fruit was discovered on Saturday, and the museum said it filed a criminal complaint against unknown persons after the work was taken from the wall. The theft revived attention around one of the art market’s most recognizable recent works, which Sotheby’s said sold for $6.2 million in New York in November 2024. The museum has already replaced the banana, underscoring a central point of the work: the fruit is a replaceable component, while the certificate and installation instructions carry the piece’s value. ### What exactly was stolen at Metz? Centre Pompidou-Metz said the missing element was the banana that forms the visible centerpiece of “Comedian,” not the underlying concept or ownership of the work. The museum reported the theft to police on Sunday after a guard noticed that the fruit had disappeared from the wall on Saturday afternoon. Artforum and other outlets identified the work as Cattelan’s “Comedian,” first unveiled in 2019 and now treated as a major example of recent conceptual art. (theartnewspaper.com) The work’s structure matters here. Sotheby’s described the 2024 auction lot simply as “banana and duct tape,” but the market value attaches to the authenticated artwork and its instructions, not to any single piece of fruit. That is why the museum was able to restore the installation quickly after the theft. ### Why does a stolen banana not destroy the artwork? (abs-cbn.com) Sotheby’s said “Comedian” sold for $6.2 million in November 2024, a figure that has followed the work into nearly every subsequent report. That price reflected the art object as defined by authorship, certificate and display protocol, rather than the shelf value of the banana itself. (sothebys.com) The Centre Pompidou-Metz said the fruit is a “perishable element,” and reports on the exhibition said it was swiftly replaced after the theft. AFP, cited by several outlets, also reported that the banana in the installation is replaced every three days to preserve the work as intended. ### Has this happened to “Comedian” before? (sothebys.com) “Comedian” has a history of being removed, eaten or otherwise disrupted in public settings since its 2019 debut. The latest museum reports noted that a visitor ate the fruit at Centre Pompidou-Metz in July 2025, and earlier high-profile incidents involving the work have helped make the piece part artwork, part recurring public spectacle. (theartnewspaper.com) Artnet reported that no one immediately knew whether the stolen banana had been eaten this time. The museum’s response, though, suggested the practical impact was limited because the fruit could be replaced and the exhibition could continue. ### What was the work doing at Centre Pompidou-Metz? Centre Pompidou-Metz lists Maurizio Cattelan as a curator of “Dimanche sans fin,” an exhibition that opened on May 8, 2025 and is scheduled to run until January 25, 2027. (abs-cbn.com) The museum says the show occupies multiple spaces and was organized for the institution’s 15th anniversary, with Cattelan working alongside director Chiara Parisi and the programming team. (news.artnet.com) The museum’s exhibition page places Cattelan at the center of the project’s framing, which helps explain why “Comedian” was on view there and why the theft drew immediate international coverage. The work’s notoriety, combined with the museum setting and the recent auction price, made the disappearance news beyond the art world. ### What happens next? Centre Pompidou-Metz said it filed a criminal complaint against unknown persons, and police now have the theft report. (centrepompidou-metz.fr) The museum has already reinstalled the work with a replacement banana, according to multiple reports, so visitors can still see “Comedian” in the exhibition. January 25, 2027 is the next fixed date in the story: that is when “Dimanche sans fin” is due to close in Metz, according to the museum’s exhibition page. (centrepompidou-metz.fr) The next public marker before then is a conference tied to the exhibition scheduled for June 10, 2026, the museum site shows. (abs-cbn.com)