David Datuna, a performance artist, ripped the banana off the wall in Miami and ate it after selling it for $120,000.

Mr Datuna called his act a “Starving Artist”, before saying: “Because I was hungry, I just ate it.” »

In 2023 a South Korean art student did the same when “Comedian” was presented in Seoul.

Mr Cattelan, 64, said his piece of banana was “no joke”.

“It was a sincere comment and reflection on what we value. At art fairs, speed and business rule, so I saw it this way: if I were to be at a fair, I could sell a banana like other people sell their paintings. I could play within the system, but with my rules.