Maurizio Cattelan
Maurizio Cattelan is one of the most controversial and widely discussed contemporary artists. Known for his dark humor and provocative pieces, Cattelan challenges the art establishment while often being celebrated by it. Born in Padua, Italy, he is self-taught and famously described himself as a “lazy artist” — a myth he plays with through his subversive career.
Among his most famous works are the gold toilet titled America, which was stolen in 2019, and Comedian (2019), a banana duct-taped to a gallery wall at Art Basel Miami Beach that sold for $120,000. His works often mock institutions of power, religion, and even the concept of art itself. Cattelan is also known for founding the magazine Toiletpaper, an art publication filled with bizarre, ironic, and surreal imagery.
While his humor often shocks, it also opens critical dialogue about value, commodification, and the role of the artist in society.
Comedian is a 2019 artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Created in an edition of three (with two artist’s proofs), it appears as a fresh banana affixed to a wall with duct tape. As a work of conceptual art, it consists of a certificate of authenticity with detailed diagrams and instructions for its proper display.
Number two of the limited edition of three was sold to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun for $6.2 million in November 2024. Soon afterward, he ate the banana onstage, comparing it to a crypto asset and saying, “the real value is the concept itself”. Sun also stated that he would buy 100,000 bananas from the street vendor in front of Sotheby’s who sold the banana used in the most recent refresh of the artwork.
The piece and another example had previously sold for US$120,000 each at Art Basel Miami Beach to significant media attention. The third edition was donated to the Guggenheim Museum.
