But isn't it a real art - to sell a banana at such a price!
During the art fair two collectors have already bought bananas - each for 120 thousand dollars. Another banana is planned to be sold to the museum - already at150 thousand. The buyer receives a certificate confirming that this is an art object, and not just a usual banana with scotch plus recommendations on how to properly attach the banana to the wall.
According to an interview given by Maurizio Cattelan, he worked on Comedian for about a year. At first he planed to make it from bronze or gum. “Everywhere I went, I always put a banana on the wall. I couldn’t figure out how to finish it, ”said the artist. In the end, he realized that a real banana will not replace anything! What is the idea of his work, the artist refused to explain. They say that the price of “Comedian” was made so after consultations with Cattelan, so as not to depreciate art, and on the other hand, not very high.
Maurizio Cattelan is 'enfant terrible' even for the modern art. He works in the genre of provocative installations.
Back in 1991, he convinced police that he had been stolen an "invisible sculpture." Then he stole a whole exhibition from a fellow artist and put on exhibits under his own name.
Cattelan’s one of famous works is 'America' - a golden toilet (worth more than1 million euros), which was until recently in the Blenheim Palace in the county of Oxfordshire and used for its intended purpose. “Until recently” because recently, the toilet was stolen.
On the final day of Art fair in Miami an incident occurred. The artist David Datuna came to the stand, took the banana and, smiling at the camera, ate it. The artist was delayed by security, but the conflict was quickly settled. Datuna explained his deed simply: it was also a performance called “The Hungry Artist”.
Well, it's contemporary art.. Unusual and cruel :)