How they ate a banana worth 120 thousand dollars

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Contemporary art is often very eccentric and even strange. Compared to classical art, contemporary art is associated with a completely different set of criteria, which is why it is called “pop art”. And we seem to have got used to the specificity of this genre. But what about an edible work of art, and even priced at $ 120,000?

It is difficult to define what constitutes such a thing as art. Most people agree that it is universal and closely related to what surrounds us. It is important: will a work of art stand the test of time. With the emergence of such a person as Andy Warhol, for example, many people have discovered a lot of new facets in seemingly mundane things. Some call his work a real revolution in the art world. You can talk indefinitely about whether this is true or not. It is an indisputable fact that this man turned traditional ideas of what is art upside down.

But edible art? It seems to be a completely new category created by renowned artist Maurizio Cattelan. The artist taped the banana on the wall with duct tape. Everything. Some considered Maurizio's work breakthrough and revolutionary. Others say it's terribly stupid and corny. But no matter how you look at it, absolutely everyone will agree that many of Cattelan's works have one thing in common - they simply boggle our imaginations! Cattelan's recent creation, a banana "artwork" called "Comedian". The origin of the name can only be reliably explained by the artist himself. This work was estimated at 120 thousand dollars. Two other works on bananas have sold for £ 90,000-100,000 each. They were accompanied by a detailed guide on when and how to change the banana. They were also accompanied by certificates confirming that these are indeed the work of Maurizio Cattelan. In all cases, it is a banana attached to the wall with silver tape.

The artist himself opens the veil of secrecy over this work of his very simply. He says that he wanted to make a full-fledged sculpture out of bronze or resin, but did not know how to approach it. He stuck a banana on the wall as a reminder and a search for inspiration. But in the end he decided that: "A banana must be a banana." This work symbolizes the pain of the artist's creativity, as well as all contemporary art in general. Today, you can create a great work of art out of nothing. The Gallerie Perrotin, an art exhibition based in Paris, regularly exhibits, promotes and sells Cattelan's work. This year the exhibition was part of a large art fair held in Florida two weeks ago. Of course, Maurizio's "Comedian" was exhibited there. There was also an incident: David Datuna, an American artist from New York, suddenly grabbed a banana glued to the wall of the gallery and … ate it!

There was no limit to the amazement of the visitors! Soon, the guards politely asked David to leave and he did it peacefully. At home, Datuna posted information about the incident on his Instagram feed. He called his performance "The Hungry Artist" and signed: "Artistic performance by me. I really love the work of Maurizio Cattelan, I am his fan. I really liked this installation. It was delicious. "No charges will be brought against Datuna, according to a gallery spokesman. A gallery spokesman told the press," It's okay. Everyone is in a great mood. Perrotin is not bringing any legal charges. " viewers puzzle over what this might mean, others compare his style with other geniuses of contemporary art, such as, for example, Jeffrey Koons.

This is not the first time Cattelan's work has been vandalized or counterfeited. The artist sculpted an 18K gold toilet bowl. It was recently exhibited in Britain at Winston Churchill's birthplace. The provocative work, America, was exhibited for the first time at the New York Museum in 2016. All visitors were allowed to use this item for its intended purpose. Three years later, in September, the toilet was stolen. This work by Maurizio Cattelan is estimated at approximately $ 8 million. According to officials, although several people were arrested in connection with the theft, no trace of the stolen sculpture has been found.

The latest "attack" on Cattelan's work was much more frivolous, and one of the artist's representatives says that he was not in the least worried. The gallery staff simply replaced the fruit with a new one. After all, the work itself, in fact, remained intact, since "a banana is just an idea." Is a banana work of art really art? Well, much of art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, to paraphrase Shakespeare. And while some may not see any artistic merit in hanging a framed fruit on a wall and calling it art, one thing is clear: when a famous artist assigns his name to it, the fruit gains great monetary value.

The most ordinary banana, sold for 120 thousand dollars and eaten as part of the performance, inspired people to a new flash mob. They glue their fruit to walls and objects, and cartoonists depict it in different ways. People post their art on social media. Some brands were even featured in the flash mob. After all, the main idea of this controversial work of art is that a banana should remain a banana. If you are interested in contemporary art, read the article on unusual works where people and objects are disguised and not visible to everyone.