The Solomon Guggenheim Museum has accepted a donation of Maurizio Cattelan's assemblage called " The artist first presented this work at the Perrotin Gallery stand at Art Basel Miami Beach last December.

Museum representatives said that, in fact, the gift of an anonymous donor consists of a certificate of authenticity and a long instruction with diagrams explaining how to mount and exhibit the work.. It does not include the original banana or the tape that was used to stick it to the wall of the Perrotin stand. "

The Guggenheim says nothing about plans to include the work in the exhibition. If that happens at all, the bananas used in it are likely to be recycled..

“The work of Maurizio Cattelan plays an important role in the recent history of the Guggenheim,” says the director of the New York Museum, Richard Armstrong, and adds:

“We accepted with gratitude the Comedian, which became yet another proof of the artist's living connection with the history of contemporary art.. Besides, ”he winked,“ this is not a big load for our storage ”.

At a fair in Miami, a scandal erupted around the work, which is officially called a sculpture: it was sold three times at prices of $ 120 thousand. up to $ 150 thousand. As a result, the banana had to be removed from the stand due to the enormous attention that it attracted..

Source: theartnewspaper.