On August 14, the famous British artist Damien Hirst recounted on his Instagram account how he tried to exchange one of his works for the controversial piece “Comedian” (2019) by Maurizio Cattelan, which consists of a banana stuck to the wall. with silver ribbon:

“I was very desperate to buy this play by Maurizio Cattelan called ‘Comedian’ because I love it so much. I asked my friend and curator Francesco Bonami if he could contact Cattelan to see if he could sell me one. Or even exchange it for one of my works. Unfortunately, he (Maurizio Cattelan) said no. Waahh! Francesco felt bad for me, so he made me one as a gift and sent it to me! This is what I have on my wall now and I love it, with the instruction to stick it on the opposite side of the original work hahahaha. Thanks Francesco, and thanks for trying! Maybe I should call you Francesco Bananini now? I love you brother!"

The work “Comedian” was the cause of scandal in 2019 when it debuted at Art Basel in Miami and was sold for $120,000, once again taking up one of the most explored dialogues in the community: what is art and what is needed for a work be considered as such? Later, the piece was further exploited by the media when artist David Datuna "ate the work" in front of the cameras.

It is important to remember that Maurizio Cattelan is an artist famous for producing satirical works. In 2016 he created the work “America” which consisted of a golden basin, which was installed in the bathrooms of the Guggenheim Museum in New York and which could be used by museum attendees. The work was stolen in 2019 during a temporary exhibition of the artist at Blenheim Palace in the United Kingdom.

Source: Artsy