Beyond the Price Tag: Arts True Worth.

Maurizio Cattelan, Comedian

The artist Maurizio Cattelan made headlines in 2019 at the Miami Art Fair when he exhibited his work, Comedian. It was a banana duct-taped to the wall. In November 2024 it was sold at Sotheby's for USD 6.2 million. 

I am interested in this piece because I am an artist and I question the value of art. I am fascinated by the simplicity of Cattelan’s Comedian, the hype around it and the prices it has been bought for. The anticipation leading up to the sale of the work in the auction house was high. For the majority of us not privy to the investment complexities of the artworld we are left pondering who the players are and why would they need to spend an eye watering amount of money on a couple of basic commodity items that could be picked up at the supermarket for less than 10 bucks. 

I don’t necessarily understand all of the inner workings of the art market but grasping some of the aspects of it is key for me to identifying the significance and relevance of this work and how the prices in the global art market affect the perception of art at a grassroots level.

What is the Value of Art?

The global art market is unregulated, unindexable, politically exclusive and intellectually compelling. Valued at $65 billion, there is a small proportion of artists who capture the majority of the revenue, the buyers are high-net-worth individuals and the sellers wield significant influence in determining which artists to promote and deciding who will have opportunity to purchase the works. The influence of that market on a greater audience is profound. It creates a perception in the wider community that unless an artist’s work is selling for large sums of money it is not relevant or valuable. 

Ironically the artwork in question, Comedian, was made as a parody of that art market. The straightforwardness of the work belies the conceptual framework behind it and the context within the artist’s extensive body of work. To give perspective it is essential to consider Cattelan's position in his career. 

He is a post-studio artist who had emerged from retirement when he created this piece in 2019. Having previously exhibited at The Venice Biennale and major art institutions including MoMa and a retrospective show at The Guggenheim, Cattelan is a conceptual artist who uses irreverent humour to challenge power dynamics in history, religion and the art world. He has been producing work since the late 80’s and has continually presented work that satirises the art world, himself as an artist and the relevance of exhibiting art work. With regularity his artworks have sparked controversy and a banana duct-taped to a wall was no exception. 

I admire Cattelan's work because I enjoy a creative mindset and the challenges of making and finding solutions to artistic conundrums. I also make artwork because I recognise the confidence in my drawing skills that I learned through years of study and I respect the histories and associated techniques entwined throughout my chosen field of study. I like the time it takes to create a work and I highly rate how each piece that I make impacts and changes my thought processes. I deeply value the immersive act of making—its mindful state, rhythmic and methodical process, and how it seamlessly extends into my body, mind, and soul. All of these things I find enriching. I am an artist who appreciates the mastery of a skill and the connection between craft and self. 

All of these processes have nothing to do with the monetary worth of art and yet there is merit and value in each one. The fulfillment I receive from art does not necessarily relate to the price that the global art market defines. This is where I trip up when looking at Comedian, or more relevantly, slip up (The name; Comedian, suggests humour and mockery and, the object; a banana, references skits of slipping on a banana peel) - Where is the underlying skill for value in this art piece? 

I circle back to the artist's initial desire for the work. Cattelan’s intention for his artwork was to satirise the art market and to question the perception of value. He chose basic materials that were easily obtainable and hung them in a major art fair to prove the point. Comedian’s brilliance lies not in the physical manifestation of the work but the idea behind it. 

The Concept is the Work. 

This concept sold three times over thanks to the connections of the Perrotin Gallery. The owner, Emmanuel Perrotin is a successful gallerist and it is his work to bring his stable of artists to the attention of major collectors. It helped that Cattelan had a highly regarded CV.

The global art market is a luxury market where dealers and galleries promote exclusivity. The wealthiest of the globalised world infuse the prices. Most markets are anonymous but the art market is priced in different ways to influence this selective model of purchasing that fosters a sense of connection and ownership to an artwork that proliferates its meaning and value in the world. 

Perrotin sold each edition for USD 120,00 - 150, 000 on its first airing at the Miami Art Fair. In exchange the buyers received a Certificate of Authenticity along with detailed instructions for how the work should be displayed.

Since the 2019 Miami Art Fair Comedian has surpassed Cattelan's aim of satirising the art market. It has become not only a question of how we value art but a comment on how news and information is consumed and what makes someone a sensation or sparks controversy. This work has taken on a life of its own. It has gone from notoriety of an amusingly funny artwork that was easily photographed, interacted with and copied to canonisation in quick succession. Major institutions and collectors bought the work, other artists and viewers ate the work, it was included in travelling shows, the work became an image which morphed into a meme as it crossed over from being part of an exclusive subculture and into the broader stream of consciousness. The media hype surrounding the work continued to flourish and its appearance in the public eye has been sustained over time. 

These experiences make the work desirable. It is not about acquiring a meticulously crafted object with indefinite structural integrity. Comedian has become a cultural phenomenon. It has a cachet. Possessing this work offers collectors the chance to become part of its story and embed themselves in art history. That is indeed a rare thing to buy and own. 

Any artist would be delighted for their artwork to be relevant in the contemporary culture - I can’t deny it! - and for it to be desirably exclusive as well. For a piece like Comedian to command such a high price, many factors must align and ultimately the monetary value of art is determined by what the highest bidder is willing to pay. People often seek art as speculators looking for work that will appreciate in value or increase social status, however, I feel the value of art extends beyond its perceived price tag.

For the love of art never be discouraged from creating or buying simply because of capitalist pressures. Buying art as an investment, rather than out of genuine appreciation, reduces it to a mere commodity. For me, the real value of art lies in the making and purchasing to support the work itself or the creative community.