“This morning, following recommendations, we removed the installation at 9 a.m.”
The gallery’s statement said, adding: “Art Basel collaboratively worked with us to station guards and create uniform lines. However, the installation caused several uncontrollable crowd movements and the placement of the work on our booth compromised the safety of the artwork around us, including that of our neighbors.”
“My kids could paint that” a refrain from those who don’t appreciate abstract art. Federal politicians played to their base constituencies by demanding that something should be done, while writers of letters to the editor dismissed the painting on the basis of, “I don’t like it, therefore it cannot be art.”
Mr. Datuna made light of his action in an Instagram post he titled “Hungry Artist,” writing: “Art performance by me. I love Maurizio Cattelan artwork and I really love this installation. It’s very delicious.”
It’s been just under a quarter-century since the National Gallery of Canada dove head first and ankle deep into the well of American abstract expressionism, with then-unprecedented purchases that thrilled some viewers and left others scratching their heads and asking – and here I helpfully translate into the acronym-crazy internet lingo of today – WTF?
Am I saying it’s not crazy? Of course I’m not. It’s bonkers.
But what’s not crazy? Have you been to an art fair? They are revolting spectacles — imagination and talent brutally transformed into naked commerce. Are you aware of what’s going on in the wider world? Did you know a reality TV host is president of the United States?
Sure, if you say so. And yet this kind of groping for scapegoats is facile. If you’re Todd — if you’re me — why not be honest about what’s going on? Why not apportion “blame” to the whole media (and social media) economy, which revolves around an intense fight for people’s attention and runs on advertising — advertising which manufactures desire, which stimulates acquisitiveness and produces more wealth, but also more desire, more hype, more waste, more anxiety, more psychic and social dissonance.
“Comedian” is clearly intended as a reprise of this earlier piece, which — needless to say — required a lot more duct tape. For an art dealer, a more pointed humiliation is hard to imagine. And yet it was gleefully agreed to because in the economy of the art market, it made sense. Everyone profited from it.
The gallery’s statement announcing the banana’s removal concluded on a wistful note: “‘Comedian,’ with its simple composition, ultimately offered a complex reflection of ourselves. We would like to warmly thank all those who participated in this memorable adventure, as well as to our colleagues. We sincerely apologize to all the visitors of the fair who today will not be able to participate in ‘Comedian.’”