Fine Art or Farce?

Have you ever looked at a work of art and wondered, “What makes this art?” Or maybe you’ve thought, “I could have done that.” Many artists inspire discussion, debate, and new ideas about what art can be.

The artists who created the famous works shown here make unusual choices to captivate—or befuddle—their audiences. As you read, think about your own interpretations of each work and determine for yourself: Is it art?

• In 2019, everyone in the art world was talking about a banana. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan caused a stir at an art fair, Art Basel Miami Beach, by duct-taping a real banana to the gallery wall as his contribution to the fair. Titled Comedian, the work sold for $120,000, and additional versions sold for even more!
• Comedian prompted both awe and outrage. A spare banana was kept at the gallery in case the taped banana was stolen. Without a certificate of authenticity from the artist, the banana would just be an ordinary fruit.
• Cattelan worked on his idea for about a year. At first, he had sculpted bananas in bronze and resin. “In the end, one day I woke up and I said, ‘The banana is supposed to be a banana,’ ” he explains.
• The artist didn’t comment on the work’s meaning. But viewers had many ideas about it. Two of the buyers even compared it to Andy Warhol’s depiction of a Campbell’s Soup can (see "How to Appropriately Appropriate").