In 2019, at Art Basel Miami, a new work debuted that would become a global fever dream. It was a banana. Duct-taped to a wall. Titled Comedian, it sold for $120,000. Then, in a move of peak performance art, a bystander simply ate it.
The art world went completely, predictably, insane.
That banana was the work of Maurizio Cattelan, the Italian provocateur who isn’t just a sculptor or a painter, he is the art world’s greatest trickster. He takes power, celebrity, and religion, and gives them a swift, hilarious kick in the shins. Cattelan’s true medium isn’t wax or marble; it’s the controversy itself. The price tag, the outrage, and the debate over “what is art” are the brushstrokes of his career. 
Here are five of his most scandalous works that proved the biggest art is often the one that makes the loudest headline.
1. The Ninth Hour (La Nona Ora)
We begin with one of his most blasphemous gestures. The Ninth Hour features a life-sized wax figure of Pope John Paul II, dressed in full papal robes, lying helpless on a red carpet. The twist? He has been struck down by a massive, dark meteorite.
The title refers to the biblical moment Christ cried out on the cross: “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” By crushing the most revered figure of the Catholic Church with a random cosmic event, Cattelan forced a dialogue on the vulnerability of power and the silence of the divine.
2. Him
If attacking the Church wasn’t enough, Cattelan turned his lens toward the most repellent figure in human history. From behind, this small, child-like figure appears to be a schoolboy kneeling in humble prayer. But as you walk around to face the work, the shock hits: it is a hyper-realistic Adolf Hitler. By rendering the face of ultimate evil in a posture of penance and a scale of innocence, Cattelan created a psychological trap that forced viewers to confront the nature of forgiveness and the presence of evil.
3. L.O.V.E. (The Middle Finger)
In 2010, Cattelan headed to Milan’s financial district. He installed an 11-meter-high Carrara marble sculpture in Piazza Affari, directly in front of the Milan Stock Exchange. At first glance, it looks like a hand performing the fascist salute—a nod to the building’s history. However, all the fingers are severed except for one: the middle finger. It remains a permanent, silent “f-you” to the world of high finance and corporate excess.
4. America
For years, the art world has used its wealth to mock itself, but Cattelan perfected the irony with America. He created a fully functional toilet, a replica of a standard bathroom fixture, cast entirely in 18-karat solid gold. It was installed in a public restroom at the Guggenheim Museum, where visitors could actually use it. It was a literal and metaphorical statement on the “gold standard” of the American Dream and the wastefulness of extreme wealth.
5. Comedian
Finally, the ultimate gesture that broke the internet: a simple, fresh banana bought at a grocery store and duct-taped to a gallery wall. The buyers weren’t purchasing the fruit; they were purchasing the Certificate of Authenticity and the instructions for replacement. Comedian was a mirror reflecting the absurdity of the art market—a test of how much we are willing to pay for a joke we are all in on.
Genius or Charlatan?
Cattelan has built an incredible career out of pretending to fail. His works aren’t about providing answers; they show us our own obsessions: our fear of authority, our complicity in excess, and our willingness to pay astronomical prices for a prank. In the contemporary art world, perhaps the genius and the charlatan are one and the same.
What do you think? Is Cattelan a visionary or just a very expensive joker?
For more deep dives into the lives of art’s greatest provocateurs and the latest international open calls, stay tuned to Artinfoland.
