Student eats artwork of a banana duct-taped to a museum wall because 'he was hungry'

*** picture is worth 1000 words as the saying goes and for appraisers, Richard Raymond de Lasco and Jake Fish. Those very words and even the stories surrounding *** work are key tools they use to determine its monetary value. How do you place *** value on an artwork? Uh I listen to what the question for the value is. First questions like what uh we were working on the Titanic. Uh The Titanic artifacts included uh rivets. One can value the rivet for probably the four cents it cost when the Titanic was built, one could value it now for the probably $0.98 it would cost to produce. But then what do you do with the one rivet that answered the question? Why did the Titanic Sink? That's *** value question in *** way. Appraisers are master storytellers compiling every bit of information on *** piece, learning the story of its uniqueness to determine its value. Art is, is always about comparison. Take Moonlight by artist Ralph Albert Blake Lock who captured romanticized scenes of the American West In 1913 and 1916, his pictures sold for record prices. And in the 90s, Alaska says they could be sold for over $100,000. But with popularity came fakes and confusion making the exercise of comparison to determine value difficult. Today, Alaska has *** moonlight painting hanging in his office. It's real. He's got the papers to prove it, but it has been conserved and the conservation is not entirely successful. Um The color matching in the sky, which is the most important part of ***, *** blake lock really creates um unevenness of tone. Once I've pointed that out, I've already lowered your ex expectations. Now, that's fine art. As jake fish tells us, artifacts typically do not have *** clear comparison or data to use as *** basis for value. So how do you tell that story? Well, it takes *** little bit of research first. Um You have to really understand the artifacts story and you have to then decide, well, what would that story mean to somebody who's in the market? How motivated are they going to be to have *** piece of that um that they can hold rather than just remember, like holding on to *** piece of clothing from the S S Central America. The so called ship of Gold sank off the east coast of the US. In 18 57 fish worked on the appraisal. There is *** pair of pants that was associated with uh Levi Strauss. This pair of pants is probably the earliest known that has some connection to the Levi Strauss story. It got *** lot of attention and so it got *** very high price, I think somewhere over $100,000 for *** pair of pants. Why are people willing to spend so much money on art? What's the most important question in the Bible Moses saying to God, who are you? So, the folks who are buying in the tens of millions of dollars artwork, they're buying it because it's *** reflection of themselves to *** degree. Yes. I think that that's, that, that, that's *** good assumption to make. How do you acquire wealth through artwork? You don't? So, it's passion, it's passion and it, and it's commitment and care.

For some — the chance to see a banana duct-taped to a wall is to be within touching distance of a sensational moment in recent art history. For others, it's an enticing snack.Video above: How do art appraisers place value on artwork?On Thursday, an art student from Seoul National University found it to be the latter, when he removed the fruit — an iconic work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — from off a wall at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea where it was displayed. Then he proceeded to devour it."The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry," a museum spokesperson told CNN in a phone call.Entitled "Comedian," the work became one of the art world's biggest viral moments when it sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2019. Two other editions of the piece were also sold at the fair.After chomping down the fruit, the student taped the peel back onto the wall. The peel was later replaced by the museum with a fresh banana."It happened suddenly, so no special action was taken. The artist (Cattelan) was informed of the incident but he didn't have any reaction to it," the museum spokesperson added.The work is part of Cattelan's solo exhibition WE which is currently running at the Seoul-based museum until July 16. The banana itself is regularly swapped out every two to three days and is not for sale.Cattelan is known for satirical pieces that challenge popular culture, often provoking debates around conceptual art.This wasn't the first time someone thought the artwork was ripe for picking.After the first edition of "Comedian" sold back in 2019, performance artist David Datuna unceremoniously plucked the banana on display at the Perrotin Gallery at Art Basel in Miami and gobbled it up as stunned onlookers watched.Datuna relished in the stunt, posting to Instagram at the time saying "I really love this installation. It's very delicious." Later he defended the act, calling it an art performance at a press conference and not an act of vandalism.Prior to the headline-making sale of artwork, Perrotin told CNN the bananas are "a symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor," adding that Cattelan turns mundane objects into "vehicles of both delight and critique." The artist did not provide potential buyers with instructions on what to do when the artwork starts to decompose.The artwork is also embroiled in a copyright battle. In 2022, Joe Morford, an artist from Glendale, California, alleged that Cattelan plagiarized his own 2000 artwork titled "Banana & Orange" — which sees the titular fruits affixed with duct tape onto painted green backgrounds on a wall.According to court documents, Morford, who is representing himself, had registered the artwork with the US Copyright Office and posted the work on his website, Facebook and YouTube accounts long before Cattelan created "Comedian."Cattelan's lawyers have argued that Morford has "no valid copyright," to the elements of the artwork — the banana and the duct tape stuck against a wall.Another one of Cattelan's viral artworks was a solid 18-carat-gold toilet "entitled" America, valued at around $6 million. It had been first installed at New York's Guggenheim in 2016 and was open to use by visitors. Later in 2019, it was stolen from the birthplace of Winston Churchill at Blenheim Palace in England where it was being exhibited. It has never been found.

For some — the chance to see a banana duct-taped to a wall is to be within touching distance of a sensational moment in recent art history. For others, it's an enticing snack.

Video above: How do art appraisers place value on artwork?

On Thursday, an art student from Seoul National University found it to be the latter, when he removed the fruit — an iconic work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — from off a wall at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea where it was displayed. Then he proceeded to devour it.

"The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry," a museum spokesperson told CNN in a phone call.

Entitled "Comedian," the work became one of the art world's biggest viral moments when it sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2019. Two other editions of the piece were also sold at the fair.

After chomping down the fruit, the student taped the peel back onto the wall. The peel was later replaced by the museum with a fresh banana.

"It happened suddenly, so no special action was taken. The artist (Cattelan) was informed of the incident but he didn't have any reaction to it," the museum spokesperson added.

The work is part of Cattelan's solo exhibition WE which is currently running at the Seoul-based museum until July 16. The banana itself is regularly swapped out every two to three days and is not for sale.

Cattelan is known for satirical pieces that challenge popular culture, often provoking debates around conceptual art.

This wasn't the first time someone thought the artwork was ripe for picking.

After the first edition of "Comedian" sold back in 2019, performance artist David Datuna unceremoniously plucked the banana on display at the Perrotin Gallery at Art Basel in Miami and gobbled it up as stunned onlookers watched.

Datuna relished in the stunt, posting to Instagram at the time saying "I really love this installation. It's very delicious." Later he defended the act, calling it an art performance at a press conference and not an act of vandalism.

Prior to the headline-making sale of artwork, Perrotin told CNN the bananas are "a symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor," adding that Cattelan turns mundane objects into "vehicles of both delight and critique." The artist did not provide potential buyers with instructions on what to do when the artwork starts to decompose.

The artwork is also embroiled in a copyright battle. In 2022, Joe Morford, an artist from Glendale, California, alleged that Cattelan plagiarized his own 2000 artwork titled "Banana & Orange" — which sees the titular fruits affixed with duct tape onto painted green backgrounds on a wall.

According to court documents, Morford, who is representing himself, had registered the artwork with the US Copyright Office and posted the work on his website, Facebook and YouTube accounts long before Cattelan created "Comedian."

Cattelan's lawyers have argued that Morford has "no valid copyright," to the elements of the artwork — the banana and the duct tape stuck against a wall.

Another one of Cattelan's viral artworks was a solid 18-carat-gold toilet "entitled" America, valued at around $6 million. It had been first installed at New York's Guggenheim in 2016 and was open to use by visitors. Later in 2019, it was stolen from the birthplace of Winston Churchill at Blenheim Palace in England where it was being exhibited. It has never been found.

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