The Guggenheim Acquires the Art Basel Banana

On Monday, the New York Times reported that Maurizio Cattelan's 2019 piece, Comedian, had officially joined the museum's collection as part of an anonymous gift.

Related | This Banana Duct-Taped to a Wall Sold for $120,000

According to the publication, Comedian — which consists of a banana duct-taped to the wall — comes with a certificate of authenticity as well as instructions for installation, which includes tips on how often to change the banana and where exactly to place it on the wall.

Last year, Cattelan's artwork caused a verifiable shitstorm at Art Basel — a frenzy that was only intensified after performance artist David Datuna ate it as part of his Hungry Artistpiece.

Since then, the first two editions of ˆComedian were sold to art gallery Perrotin for $120,000 each. Perrotin also bought the third edition for $150,000.

"We are grateful recipients of the gift of Comedian, a further demonstration of the artist's deft connection to the history of modern art," Guggenheim director Richard Armstrong said. That said, one of the biggest upsides, according to him, is the fact that the piece "offers little stress to our storage."

Photo via Getty