Cattelan's duct-taped banana stolen from Centre Pompidou-Metz
Maurizio Cattelan's Comedian (2019), a duct-taped banana, was stolen from the exhibition Endless Sunday at Centre Pompidou-Metz on 30 May. The museum reported the theft, filed a complaint, and quickly replaced the banana, restoring the work. The institution stated that the value lies in the certificate of authenticity and presentation protocol, not the perishable element. This is the fourth time the banana has been taken or eaten: previously at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, at Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul in 2023, and by a visitor at the same Metz show in May 2025. Cattelan has described the work as a sincere commentary on value and the art market.
Key facts
- Maurizio Cattelan's Comedian (2019) stolen from Centre Pompidou-Metz on 30 May
- Banana replaced and work restored quickly
- Museum filed a complaint; perpetrators unknown
- Value lies in certificate of authenticity and protocol, not the banana
- Fourth incident: previously eaten at Art Basel Miami Beach 2019, Seoul 2023, and by a visitor at Metz in May 2025
- Exhibition Endless Sunday runs until 25 January 2027
- Cattelan called Comedian a sincere commentary on value and art market in 2021
- Collector Justin Sun discussed the work at a Hong Kong event
Entities
Artists
- Maurizio Cattelan
- Justin Sun
- David Datuna
- Joe Morford
Institutions
- Centre Pompidou-Metz
- Art Basel Miami Beach
- Leeum Museum of Art
- The Art Newspaper
- Centre Pompidou Metz
- Art Basel
- Serralves Museum
- Perrotin Gallery
- Pompidou-Metz
- Pompidou Centre
Locations
- Metz
- France
- Miami Beach
- United States
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Hong Kong
- Miami
- Portugal