A student at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, had a case of the munchies as he decided to eat a famous work of art worth a whopping $120,000!
The artwork in question was a banana duct-taped to a wall — a famous work of art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.
The young student couldn’t resist the eye-catching fruit as he gobbled the whole banana before taping the peel back onto the wall. The grisly images of the poor banana’s eaten corpse have left netizens shocked (viewer discretion advised).
The incident occurred at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, where the iconic work entitled “Comedian” was on display.
According to a spokesperson from the museum, the student claimed that he ate the banana because he was hungry. The work had previously sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2019, and two other editions were also sold at the fair.
After consuming the fruit, the student taped the peel back onto the wall, and the museum later replaced it with a fresh banana.
Here is a grisly picture of the crime scene.
The artwork is part of Cattelan’s solo exhibition called WE, which is currently running at the Seoul-based museum until July 16. It is regularly changed every two to three days and is not for sale.
The incident has caused a stir in the art world and among the public, with some expressing their shock and disappointment at the student’s actions, while others found it amusing.
Cattelan is known for his satirical works that challenge popular culture, and this latest incident has once again provoked debates around conceptual art. The artist himself did not have any reaction to the incident, according to the museum spokesperson.
