The Banana Worth Millions Disappears Again: French Museum Turns to Police 0 13

This refers to the scandalously famous work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — a banana taped to the wall. Over the years, this art object has repeatedly sparked loud discussions and unusual incidents.

This time, the museum decided to take a tougher stance. The reason was not only the high value of the exhibit but also the desire to prevent similar cases in the future. The identity of the person involved in the disappearance of the artwork has not yet been established, so a complaint has been filed against an unknown individual.

Interestingly, a similar incident occurred at this museum last summer. At that time, one visitor tore down the exhibit and ate it right in front of the audience. However, the institution's management chose not to pursue legal action and limited itself to restoring the installation.

The art object has sparked fierce debates since its debut at the Art Basel international exhibition in 2019. Initially, the work was valued at $120,000, but over time, its value has increased many times over. Over the years, the banana has repeatedly fallen victim to performances: it has been eaten by both exhibition visitors and participants in art actions in various countries around the world.

A particularly loud event occurred in 2024 when one version of the work was purchased by entrepreneur and founder of the cryptocurrency platform Justin Sun. After the purchase, he staged a public event in Hong Kong and dramatically ate the banana at a press conference, once again drawing attention to the artwork and its symbolism.

Despite its apparent simplicity, Cattelan's work remains one of the most discussed pieces of contemporary art. Now the museum must find out what exactly happened to the missing exhibit and whether it will be possible to return it to the display.