Cattelan's Banana Stolen Again at Centre Pompidou Metz

On May 30, 2026, an unidentified visitor stole or ate Maurizio Cattelan's banana artwork "Comedian" at the Centre Pompidou Metz in France. The museum filed a police complaint against unknown persons. The banana was promptly replaced, as per the exhibition protocol that requires replacement every three days. The museum stated that the theft violates respect for exhibited works and undermines the artwork's value, which lies in its certificate of authenticity and presentation protocol. The incident occurred during Cattelan's exhibition "Dimanche sans fin," which runs until early 2027 and features "Comedian" on its catalog cover. This is not the first such incident: in 2019, performance artist David Datuna ate the banana at Art Basel Miami; in 2023, a Korean student ate it at a Seoul exhibition; and in summer 2025, the fruit was similarly consumed at the Serralves Museum in Portugal. A year earlier, during the same exhibition, a visitor ate the banana but was identified and took responsibility, so no charges were filed. This time, the museum could not identify the perpetrator. The artwork has also been the subject of a plagiarism lawsuit, with Cattelan cleared of accusations by artist Joe Morford in 2023.