Remember the fantastic news of the banana artwork piece that made the entire world go frenzied? For both the initiated and the uninitiated, back in December, a banana wrapped with a single piece of duct tape was sold at a whopping amount of $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami.
’Cause We All are Monkeys
An ever ripening yellow duct tape banana titled ‘Comedian’ was displayed in an international gallery named Perrotin. Considering it as an emblem of global trade, this brainchild of the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was eaten by performance artist David Datuna.
His hankering made him pay $120,000 causing the untimely demise of the banana.
The Art and the Artist
The great banana artwork was sold before being eaten. In fact, two buyers paid for those limited-editions created by Cattelan. The buyers bid between $120,000 to $150,000 to have the ownership.
But hey, you must be thinking how can three people buy the same piece of duct tape banana?
Here comes the breakup. So, collectors were not actually buying the banana, they bought the idea. given a certificate of authenticity. That means when the banana gets rotten, the buyers can replace it with another store-bought banana by following the replacement instructions.Some eyerolls, please!
To have a glimpse of Cattelan’s famous banana art, people went bonkers and flooded the gallery within no time. And one fine Saturday, without any warning, not-so-early morning David Datuna decided to devour the delicious banana amid the crowd.
Furthermore, he took to Instagram posting a video claiming that Cattelan’s installation is way too delicious and he respects him for his art.
Some More Insights
A moment of contemplation will give you all the right reasons how the idea of conceptual art in recent times is exposing the snobbery in filthy rich people’s minds. Just to show off their wealth, people can go to any extent passively debasing the true concept of modern art and not a mere banana artwork piece.
What is Conceptual Art?
Conceptual art can be best defined as an art movement in which the idea or the essence of the art takes precedence over material concerns. Also known as conceptualism .
This form of art primarily emphasizes on an artist’s thought process rather than the art.Therefore, conceptual art can be anything ranging from a drawing to sculpture to a duct tape banana.
A lot of conceptual artists use humor to express their arts. However, nothing could beat what Maurizio Cattelan did with his famous banana art.
For your information, the man previously came into limelight when he installed an 18-carat gold toilet named “America”.
Moreover, tracing back to 1999, Cattelan installed another duct tape art where he sealed an Italian gallerist Massimo De Carlo to the walls of a gallery.
Clears throat!
It is What It is
Sadly! There is no denying that with the inception of ‘Comedian’, the tragedy of the art world became prominent once again.
The banana artwork piece was no less than a meta-commentary screaming out the fact how the essence of true art and aesthetics is going down the drains.
Art is subjective. In fact, tens of thousands of people have often failed to understand the concept of modern art. However, that in no means advocates the fact that getting selling an over-hyped banana in the name of art.
Owing to the spending habit of super-rich people, unfortunately, a lot of good artists still struggle to get their deserving due.
Food for Thought
Ephemeral art was there and will exist in the coming years. Ironically, good art and artists also exist.
So, being a true lover of art and crafts, it’s your duty to acknowledge the labor of love to encourage the budding Goghs and Picassos of the world.
What’s your take on this famous banana art? Do let us know in the comment section below.
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Originally published at https://artswel.com on August 24, 2020.
