Banana duct-taped to a wall

nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
2019d.png

Banana duct-taped to a wall sells for $120,000 at Art Basel

A banana duct-taped to a wall has sold for $120,000 (£91,550) at one of North America's most prestigious art shows, with another version of the artwork expected to sell for $150,000 (£114,460).

The prized installation, by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was unveiled at the Art Basel Miami Beach on Wednesday by the Parisian contemporary art gallery Perrotin.

It is not the first time Cattelan's work has made headlines. An infamous 18-carat lavatory, entitled “America” drew huge crowds when it went on display at New York's Guggenheim museum in 2016. It was installed at Blenheim Palace in September but stolen just hours later.

Despite it being Cattelan's first contribution to an art fair in 15 years, the gallery appeared taken aback by the popularity of the artist's latest piece.

“It’s a miracle; I don’t know how this happened...When we started to work together I had to fight to convince collectors one by one to buy his work,” the gallery's founder Emmanuel Perrotin told artnet.com.

(more on the link)

 
pigfarmer

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
my dog just created some art but rather than save it for posterity I chucked it down the hill like I always do
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
So they hung banana art "on a dorm room wall for two years", what a rotten mess that may have turned out to be, not to mention the infestation of gnats and fruit flies as a result...:Whistle:

...
 
Kchoo

Kchoo

At Peace.
So, I wonder what kind of business the artist is fronting?

"Uhhh yeah we can do that... just buy some of my art at this gallery for this price and we'll take gooooood care of your situation, see?
What?
Theres no more of my art left??? Yeah... okay... Since you are in such a hurry, I will slap something on the wall this afternoon."
 
Last edited:
Kchoo

Kchoo

At Peace.
nivek said:
So they hung banana art "on a dorm room wall for two years", what a rotten mess that may have turned out to be, not to mention the infestation of gnats and fruit flies as a result...:Whistle:

...
Click to expand...
Ok... that sounds like something you would see in college....

I wonder if person who did it was a loner, or was really really popular so no one wanted to complain...
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
Someone ate the $120,000 banana at Art Basel. Some quick thinking saved the day

Someone ate a really expensive snack at Art Basel Saturday afternoon — to the tune of $120,000. For one banana.

By now you have probably heard of the now world-famous banana duct-taped to Emmanuel Perrotin’s outer gallery wall at Art Basel Miami Beach. The piece that sold to an art collector for $120,000. The $120,000 banana — a real, rather ripe and edible one — is the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and titled “Comedian.” The work comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, and owners are told that they can replace the banana, as needed.

Instructions on how to replace the banana are not included.

But New York-based performance artist David Datuna ate the banana at around 1:45 p.m. in front of a convention center full of art lovers, according to gallery representatives.

While the banana was indeed consumed, apparently that doesn’t diminish the integrity of the six-figure art work, said Lucien Terras, director of museum relations for Galerie Perrotin.

“He did not destroy the art work. The banana is the idea,” Terras said.

Confused?

We were, too, but that’s where the Certificate of Authenticity comes in. Collectors are buying the certificate. The banana is not made to last. “This has brought a lot of tension and attention to the booth and we’re not into spectacles,” Terras added. “But the response has been great. It brings a smile to a lot of people’s faces.”

Gallery owner Emmanuel Perrotin was about to head to the airport when he heard that the banana was eaten. He darted to the space, clearly upset. A fair goer tried to cheer him up and handed him his own banana.

Perrotin and a gallery assistant re-adhered the borrowed banana to the wall just after 2 p.m. According to Peggy Leboeuf, a partner at Perrotin Gallery, a startled, and bemused, a woman in the crowd thought the original artist — Cattelan — was eating his own banana off the wall. But that wasn’t the case. When she saw Datuna eating the banana, which still had some duct tape on it, she asked him what he was doing.

Datuna allegedly responded he was a performance artist. “But you’re not supposed to touch the art!” Leboeuf told Datuna. The London-based White Cube gallery in the booth next door to Perrotin removed a floor installation because the crowd to see the banana was just overwhelming. Perrotin installed a silver rope line in an attempt to keep the crowd in check Saturday afternoon. Four Miami Beach police officers also gathered outside the gallery to keep order.

“That banana has been more photographed than the Mona Lisa,” remarked Terras.

“This has been interesting,” said Miami Beach police Capt. Steven Feldman. When asked if he had ever heard of someone deliberately destroying artwork at the fair, he said, “Not that I can remember.”

He noted it was a balancing act to accommodate the crowd.

“The gallery is OK with people taking pictures of the banana. It is a delicate balancing act. We just want to make sure the area is secure,” said Feldman. For what Cattelan’s banana fetches, Datuna could have bought 631,579 bananas at Trader Joe’s, which sells bananas for .19 cents each.

The gallery reported the incident to security, but Datuna was not arrested.

.
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
:laugh8:

 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top