Maurizio Cattelan: Modern Art’s Most Famous Snack Strikes Again
A thief made off with Maurizio Cattelan's duct-taped banana, but replacing it was surprisingly easy.
Bizarre news arrived recently when someone stole a Maurizio Cattelan duct‑taped banana over the May 30 weekend in 2026.
The fruit hung on a wall at the Centre Pompidou‑Metz in France. And notably, art lovers were distracted from the crime by a fast move. Read on for more details.
Sharp-Eyed Security
Per Euronews, a security guard noticed the absent edible on the Saturday afternoon. The museum had the piece in an exhibition called “Endless Sunday.”
Admirably, staff didn’t lose their heads with panic. Instead, they grabbed a fresh banana and replaced it right away.
And that wasn’t a difficult task because protocol actually requires workers to swap the fruit every three days anyway. Keep it fresh. Discourage flies.
Eating Artwork
People seem compelled to snack on the edible elements of the arts. But this time, the museum folks seemed way more than a bit irritated. The outlet reported that admins filed a “criminal complaint” against “persons unknown.”
They went to the cops. But perhaps folks should feel a mild level of sympathy. After all, an unidentified thief struck again. Same venue. Another attack on modern art’s most famous snack.
Museum officials noted a distinct “lack of respect” for the art. Respect. For a snack taped to a wall. You’re not buying groceries here.
Careful Authenticity Rules
Per ARTnews, the value sits entirely within its “certificate of authenticity” and the specific protocol governing its display.
The certificate reportedly specifies that the banana should be displayed 1.72 metres high at a 37-degree angle.
Get the protractor out. One iteration fetched $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in November 2024.
According to Inside Edition, the winning bid came from a crypto entrepreneur from China. Guy clearly had more money than bananas.
Previous Banana Crimes
ARTnews emphasized the startling fact that it wasn’t the first time a healthy snack went missing. A visitor casually ate a banana at this exact same French museum in July 2025.
Maurizio Cattelan publicly expressed disappointment because the guest only ate the fruit and left the tape behind. Didn’t even take the tape. Amateur hour.
Inside Edition’s piece reminded readers that performance artist David Datuna started this weird trend back in 2019. That one was valued at $120K.
At the time, he ate the cultural masterpiece at Art Basel Miami Beach. He peeled it first. Classy.
Now, it’s six million dollars. For a banana. Someone stole it. They replaced it with a new one.
The show goes on. You could eat the whole thing right now and they’d just tape up another one before your napkin hit the floor.
That’s the art. That’s the joke. But how the joke lands on investors in perishable plantains is anyone’s guess.
Viewers React
When The Guardian shared a video of the David Datuna banana theft six years ago, folks certainly raised their eyebrows.
One of them penned, “Art turned its back on beauty and embraced shock value.”
Another wit noted, “Well someone would have had to eat it before it got too ripe and started dripping down the wall.”
The absurdity and irony weren’t lost on others, and a notable comment read: “The true art is the moment that he ate it. I would like to buy it for a million Euros.”
Your thoughts about Maurizio Cattelan and his diappearing bananas? Join the discussion below and come back here often for more bizarre news and updates.
