Police are searching for a banana worth 5.8 million euros – a famous exhibit stolen from a French museum
The work "Comedian" by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan – a famous art object in the form of a banana taped to a wall – has been stolen for the second time from the Pompidou-Metz Center museum in France. This was reported by Euronews.
The disappearance of the exhibit became known after a museum security staff member noticed its absence on Sunday. The work is valued at 5.8 million euros.
The museum stated that the banana has already been replaced. This corresponds to the standard procedure for exhibiting "Comedian," as the fruit is changed every three days to keep it fresh. At the same time, the administration has contacted the police.
The Pompidou-Metz Center explained that they filed a criminal complaint due to the inability to identify the thief. The museum noted that under such circumstances, "there is no possibility for dialogue." Representatives of the institution also emphasized that they perceive the incident as a matter of respect for the artwork.
The museum reminded that this is already the second similar case.
In July 2025, the work also attracted attention after a visitor ate the banana that was part of the installation. At that time, Maurizio Cattelan jokingly said he was disappointed that the man ate only the fruit and not the tape. In that case, the museum did not involve law enforcement.
The work "Comedian" was first presented at the Art Basel exhibition in Miami Beach in 2019. From the beginning, it sparked active discussions about the boundaries of contemporary art and the nature of artistic value.
That same year, artist David Datuna took the banana off the wall and ate it during the exhibition, explaining his action by hunger. A similar incident occurred in 2023 in Seoul, where a museum visitor also ate the fruit that was part of the installation.
Despite the controversies surrounding the piece, its market value continued to rise. In November 2024, Justin Sun, founder of the cryptocurrency project Tron, purchased one of the versions of "Comedian" for 5.8 million euros. A few days after the purchase, he also ate the banana in front of journalists during an event in Hong Kong.
The peculiarity of "Comedian" is that its value is determined not by the fruit itself, but by the certificate of authenticity and the instructions for exhibiting it. Owners of the work have the right to reproduce the installation according to the author's specified requirements.
According to the instructions, the banana must be attached to the wall at a height of 1.72 meters from the floor and positioned at an angle of 37 degrees. The fruit itself can be replaced an unlimited number of times.
Currently, the French police continue to search for the stolen exhibit. There is no information yet about the whereabouts of the banana or the identity of the person who took it.
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