A.SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
The famous, rather infamous, work of art — Comedian — by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is coming to the UAE, albeit only for a day. The piece features a simple banana taped with grey duct tape to a wall.
The unusual exhibit, which challenged conventional notions of art and aesthetics when it debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, will be displayed on November 4 at Sotheby’s gallery on the ground floor of Building 3 in DIFC Gate Village. Sources at Sotheby’s office in Dubai said the exhibit will be open for public viewing from 12pm to 8pm on November 4, with no prior appointment or tickets required.
The avant-garde artwork has begun its world tour before being put up for auction on November 20 in New York. The tour kicked off with a one-day exhibition on October 28 in New York and includes stops in London, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Los Angeles, before returning to New York for an exhibition ahead of the auction. The artwork is valued between $1 million and $1.5 million.
The auction of the artwork by Sotheby's is being organised by art investor Andre Sakhai, who bought a particular edition of the concept in 2020, according to the US art websites. Each sale of Comedian includes a certificate of authenticity from Cattelan and his gallery, Perrotin, along with instructions on how to recreate the artwork, Sotheby’s said on its website.
The banana used in the artwork is real and edible, leading to incidents where the banana was eaten by visitors in the past.
The tape-strapped banana also once featured on the cover of The New York Post