Hungry Student Eats $120,000 Artwork

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A banana duct-taped to a wall is an enticing snack. At least to an art student from Seoul National University. 

 

On Thursday, Noh Huyn-soo brazenly removed the fruit – an iconic work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan – from off a wall at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea where it was displayed. Then he proceeded to devour it. 

 

A museum spokesperson said: "The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry". 

 

Entitled "Comedian", the work became one of the contemporary art world's biggest viral moments when it sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami in Miami Beach in Florida, USA in December 2019. Two other editions of the piece also sold at the art fair. 

 

A thought suddenly sneaked in. Did the artist ever provide potential buyers with instructions on what to do when the artwork starts to decompose?

 

Anyway, after chomping down the fruit, the student taped the peel back on to the wall. The peel was later replaced by the museum with a fresh banana. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It happened suddenly, so no special action was taken. The artist (Cattelan) was informed of the incident but he didn't have any reaction to it", the museum spokesperson added. 

 

The work is part of Cattelan's solo exhibition WE that is currently running at the Seoul-based museum until July 16. The banana itself is regularly swapped out every two to three days, and is not for sale. 

 

Cattelan is known for satirical pieces that challenge popular culture, often provoking debates around conceptual art. 

 

This wasn't the first time someone thought the artwork was ripe for picking. After the first edition of "Comedian" sold back in 2019, performance artist David Datuna unceremoniously plucked the banana on display at the Perrotin gallery at Art Basel in Miami and gobbled it up as stunned onlookers watched. 

 

Datuna relished in the stunt, posting to Instagram at the time saying "I really love this installation. It's very delicious". 

 

Later he defended the act, calling it an art performance at a press conference and not an act of vandalism. 

 

The artwork is also embroiled in a copyright battle. In 2022, Joe Morford, an artist from Glendale in California, USA alleged that Cattelan plagiarized his own 2000 artwork titled "Banana & Orange" – which sees the titular fruits affixed with duct tape onto painted green backgrounds on a wall. 

 

According to court documents, Morford, who is representing himself, had registered the artwork with the US Copyright Office and posted the work on his website, Facebook and YouTube accounts long before Cattelan created "Comedian". 

 

Cattelan's lawyers have argued that Morford has "no valid copyright" to the elements of the artwork – the banana and the duct tape stuck against a wall. 

 

I believe the case has not concluded.