Pompidou-Metz Museum Reports Theft Of Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian” Banana Again

The Pompidou-Metz Museum in eastern France reported that Cattelan's banana disappeared again, after it filed a complaint against unknown persons for theft.

“They are titled America and are valued at $6 million”

Beaux Arts

The museum said the disappearance was discovered by a security guard on Saturday, and it promptly replaced the fruit that is fixed to the wall with adhesive tape.

Beaux Arts

The work in question is Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian,” which the museum says requires the fruit be replaced every three days to preserve its appearance and conceptual meaning.

The museum also said the incident did not involve a first-time episode, noting that in July last year a visitor had even eaten the banana on display and staff replaced it without legal consequences.

Maurizio Cattelan commented on the latest incident with irony, saying he was disappointed that the visitor had only eaten the banana and not also the adhesive tape that held it to the wall.

This time, the museum said it would not engage in dialogue because the person responsible has not been identified, with the directors explaining, "Since the person responsible has not been identified, there is no possibility of dialogue."

Il Sole 24 ORE

Le Figaro described the episode as another bite of the taped banana, saying the visitor ate the banana with its skin and its tape rather than just consuming the fruit itself.

Le Parisien similarly said the visitor “ate” the banana before security intervened, and it quoted the museum’s account that the security team then intervened "quickly and calmly."

The Pompidou-Metz Museum said the fruit is only a perishable element and is regularly replaced according to a precise protocol defined by the artist, with the work reinstalled within minutes after the incident.

“Maurizio Cattelan's taped banana, estimated at several million euros, bitten again”

Le Figaro

Le Figaro stated that the work was estimated at several million euros and that the incident did not affect the integrity of the work or the smooth running of the exhibition, which remains fully accessible to the public.

In a separate but related episode, the Il Sole 24 ORE report said cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun bought a version of “Comedian” for $5.2 million in 2024 and consumed the banana in front of cameras in Hong Kong.

The South China Morning Post added that in 2024 Justin Sun paid US$6.2 million for an iteration of the artwork and then ate the fruit on camera in Hong Kong, underscoring how the same installation element has repeatedly drawn criminal and public attention.