Memes about Comedian, Cattelan's banana: the funniest ones

In December 2019, the contemporary art world was shocked by news that went around the globe: a seemingly simple work of art, a banana taped to a wall, was being presented at Art Basel Miami. The author of this artistic provocation was Maurizio Cattelan, and the work in question was titled Comedian. Now, five years later, that work has been sold at auction by Sotheby ’s for the sum of $6.24 million.

But beyond its economic value and the debate it sparked in the art world, “Comedian” soon became a global phenomenon, turning into one of the most ... memorized works of art in history. The image of the hanging banana, simple yet so surreal ( read more about its meaning in Federico Giannini’s commentary), lends itself perfectly to online culture, spawning a myriad of memes that immediately invaded social media and chatrooms around the world, and continue their invasion in these hours, after Comedian has powerfully returned to the news.

Art and memes, at first glance, seem worlds apart. Art is often associated with elegance, sophistication, and the expression of profound concepts. Memes, on the other hand, are considered products of popular culture, often humorous and vulgar, created and shared quickly and spontaneously. Yet, in the case of Comedian, these two worlds have intertwined in unexpected ways, giving rise to a cultural phenomenon of great interest. And several reasons have helped turn Comedian into a true online pop culture icon. First, its simplicity: an everyday object, a banana, presented in an unusual context, that of a work of art, struck the collective imagination, stimulating the creativity of web users. Second, its exorbitant cost generated a strong sense of disbelief and irony. How is it possible that such a mundane object could be worth so much money? Also taking into account the fact that it initially sold for $120,000 in 2019. This question fueled the production of memes, in which the banana was compared to other everyday objects, emphasizing the apparent absurdity of its artistic valuation.

Moreover, the ephemeral nature of the work, destined to deteriorate over time, added an element of paradox to the narrative. Such an expensive work of art, destined to disappear, raised questions about the nature of art itself and the value we place on objects. The memes generated by Comedian are extremely varied and range from the simplest and most straightforward humor to the most refined satire. Some memes take the original banana image and modify it by adding funny text or graphic elements that alter its meaning. Other memes, on the other hand, use the banana as a symbol to comment on current events or to express personal opinions. The case of Comedian shows us how contemporary art, and in particular the most provocative works, can go viral and generate a broad and passionate debate on social media. Cattelan’s banana, from a simple everyday object, has turned into a pop culture icon, proving that art is not just an elitist product, but can be a powerful tool for communication and sharing. So let’s take a look at the most interesting memes.

Memes about Comedian, Cattelan's banana: the funniest ones

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.