On Saturday, the Centre Pompidou-Metz announced that Maurizio Cattelan's iconic artwork *Comedian*—a banana duct-taped to a wall—was stolen from the museum. Staff quickly replaced the fruit with a fresh banana and tape, as is routine every three days. The museum filed a legal complaint against unknown persons, marking the second such incident at the venue after a previous theft in 2024. The artwork's value resides in its certificate of authenticity and presentation protocol, not the perishable banana itself.
The incident underscores the enduring cultural and market significance of Cattelan's conceptual piece, which sold at auction for $6.24 million in 2024. The theft, while physically inconsequential, raises questions about audience engagement with provocative art and the boundaries of performance. The museum's decision to press charges reflects a shift from earlier leniency, highlighting tensions between institutional control and public interaction with viral artworks.