Maurizio Cattelan breaks records with conceptual art

At Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, a work was exhibited that later became one of the most high-profile works of the year. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan exhibited a banana attached to a wall with silver duct tape. He called the work Comedian. The Perrotin gallery, which represented him at the event, sold three editions of the work that year, valued at between $120,000 and $150,000. Just 5 years later, on Wednesday, November 20th, 2024, Comedian was sold at Christie's in New York for a record $6.2 million - the auction house estimated that the work would sell for $1-1.5 million.

Maurizio Cattelan's achievement is an example of a conceptual artwork that has succeeded in monetization. Conceptual art, which moves away from the traditional framework of art – a statue or a painting on canvas – thus occupies a place not only in the historical development of art, but also on the market. We can now say this not only about the use of the medium, but also about the monetization of a concept: everything is possible. Cattelan, with his work, which also goes beyond the physical framework, is a source of inspiration for other young artists, setting new boundaries and breaking the traditional definition of art, similar to how Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Yves Klein and many others did before him. For the author, the medium is not a limitation, uniqueness is what is important.

Maurizio Cattelan, born in 1960 in Padua, Italy, currently lives and works in New York. He is considered one of the most popular and at the same time controversial contemporary artists – the curator of the modern gallery The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Jonathan O. Binstock, describes him as “one of the better post-Duchampian artists”. His success is also reflected in the fact that he has already been written into art history – the artist is also mentioned in lectures at the University of Ljubljana in the art history program. Cattelan's first work to gain global fame was La Nona Ora ("The Ninth Hour"), in 1999: a wax statue depicting Pope John Paul II, who was hit by a meteor. The artist has represented Italy at the Venice Biennale six times, most recently in 2011. That same year, he also received his first solo exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Among his more famous works is work from 2016, when he replaced one of the toilets at the Guggenheim with a 16-carat gold one for a year.

Another interesting thing about the work Comedian is that this work combines two artistic labels: conceptual art, in which the concept or idea of the work is more important than the final product itself, and performance art that touches the theater arts. In the same year that Comedian was created, the artist David Datuna performed the performance Hungry Artist, in which he ate Cattelan's banana of the Comedian.

At Stoja Art Collection Gallery, we follow the innovations and successes of artists with interest, thereby upgrading our knowledge of the investment side of art and its development. On our wall hangs a unique work by Alighiero Boetti, the painting Divine Astrazione, which is not a classic painting, but a tapestry. Boetti, a big name in the Arte Povera art movement, is one of the most sought-after authors today. One of his most successful works is the large embroidery Mappa, which depicts a map of the world, and is today worth around 7 million dollars. Who would have thought that a simple embroidery could become a good investment?

Viewing Boetti's work in our gallery is possible by prior arrangement.

Author: Špela R.

Photo sources: Artnet, The Guardian, Stoja Art Collection Gallery