Maurizio Cattelan’s Banana Artwork Eaten By Student, Korea Museum Will Not Claim Damages
For the vast majority of people, bananas are for eating. However, to Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, a banana can also be a piece of art.
Recently, his famous artwork consisting of a banana taped to a wall was displayed at a museum in South Korea.
However, it ended up being eaten by a student.
Source: Vivian Wo on Facebook
The culprit said he was hungry when he did it.
Seoul museum holding Maurizio Cattelan exhibition
If you’re an art lover visiting Seoul, you may want to check out the Leeum Museum of Art in the South Korean capital.
They’re currently holding an exhibition of Cattelan’s works till July.
This includes his famous piece titled “Comedian”.
Source: Leeun Museum of Art on Facebook
It’s basically a ripe banana duct-taped to a wall.
Banana artwork eaten by student, peel taped back to wall
The display was interrupted, though, when a Seoul college student decided to eat the banana, reported The Korea Herald.
He committed the act last Thursday (27 Apr) at about 1pm Seoul time (12 noon Singapore time).
The student reportedly detached the banana, peeled it and unashamedly ate it right there and then.
He then placed the banana peel back on the wall using the duct tape that was part of the artwork.
When the museum asked him to explain his actions, he replied that he was hungry as he missed breakfast.
Actions could also be interpreted as art: Student
During an interview later, a local broadcaster asked him to elaborate on the act.
The student, who is an art major at Seoul National University, said his actions could also be interpreted as art.
Admitting that he had damaged a work of modern art, he also said he thought that replacing the peel was “a fun way of looking at it”.
Source: Leeun Museum of Art on Facebook
Museum will not claim damages
The museum has generously decided not to claim damages against the student, according to The Korea Herald.
After all, the banana used in the artwork is actually replaced every two to three days.
This is according to Cattelan’s instructions provided to the museum.
The exhibition, which includes a total of 38 of his works, is on till 16 Jul, according to the museum’s website.
Source: Leeun Museum of Art on Facebook
Banana artwork sold for S$160K
While a banana may not seem like an expensive meal to most, this one is apparently quite pricey indeed.
“Comedian” was first displayed at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2019, and was on sale for the staggering sum of S$160,000 (US$120,000), according to Artnet.
Remarkably, somebody bought it.
They created it again, and another person purchased it at the same price.
The third time it was created, Cattelan agreed to raise the price to S$200,000 (US$150,000).
That should be quite a markup from its original cost — the banana was reportedly sourced from a supermarket in Miami, which presumably didn’t sell it at such a high price.
For the South Korean student, it may be the most expensive meal he’s ever eaten.
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Featured image adapted from Vivian Wo on Facebook.
