Renowned $6 million banana artwork stolen again from Metz's Centre Pompidou

A banana artwork by Maurizio Cattelani titled "Comedian" (2019) was stolen again from the wall of Centre Pompidou-Metz in Metz, France. The work, known for being a banana taped to a wall, is valued at approximately six million dollars.

An iconic artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelani titled "Comedian" (2019) was stolen again from Centre Pompidou-Metz in Metz, France – a simple banana affixed to a wall with grey tape, valued at six million dollars.

The work's concept is as simple as it is provocative: an ordinary banana purchased from a shop, attached to a wall with grey tape. The essence of "Comedian" lies in the idea rather than the physical object, which is why it has repeatedly attracted both hungry visitors and attention-seeking vandals – the banana has been eaten or stolen multiple times.

Cattelani's "Comedian" gained wider public attention in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach, where a similar copy sold for $120,000. Owners who purchase the work receive a certificate and instructions on how to buy a new banana themselves and restore the piece, since the artwork itself is an idea rather than a specific piece of fruit.

This is not the first time the work has been deliberately "lost" – on previous occasions, visitors have simply eaten the banana, claiming it was part of the art. Centre Pompidou-Metz has not yet issued a detailed statement about the current theft.