Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Maurizio Cattelan. It dates from 2017 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
It resides in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, where its minimal form invites scrutiny of artistic value and reproduction.
Created in 2017, this screenprint by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan presents a simple image: a banana affixed to a vivid yellow surface with depicted adhesive tape. Though it mimics a common prank, the work exists as a limited-edition print, produced through commercial printing methods. It resides in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, where its minimal form invites scrutiny of artistic value and reproduction.
Subject & Meaning
The image of a taped banana, rendered as a flat graphic, references a notorious performance piece from the same year. By isolating the gesture in print, Cattelan removes the physical object while preserving its conceptual weight. The work questions the mechanisms of value in contemporary art—why a reproduced image of a banana commands high prices when the actual fruit is inexpensive and disposable.
Technique & Style
Executed as a screenprint, the work employs commercial printing techniques to replicate a seemingly casual gesture. The banana is rendered in flat, unmodulated color, and the tape is suggested with precise lines that imply texture without mimicking it. The stark yellow background amplifies the absurdity, reducing the subject to a graphic symbol stripped of context or function.
History & Provenance
The print emerged in the wake of Cattelan’s 2019 live installation featuring a real banana taped to a wall, which drew global attention and controversy. This screenprint, produced the year prior, functions as a precursor and commentary on the commodification of ephemeral acts. It entered MoMA’s collection shortly after its release, reflecting institutional recognition of its conceptual resonance.
Context
Cattelan’s practice frequently interrogates power structures in the art world through irony and absurdity. This print aligns with a tradition of conceptual art that privileges idea over object, echoing works by Duchamp and Kosuth. Its timing coincides with broader debates about authenticity, reproduction, and the role of the artist in an age of digital proliferation.
Legacy
As a printed iteration of a performance that became a media sensation, this work endures as a quiet but persistent inquiry into the conditions of artistic legitimacy. It does not seek to entertain but to unsettle assumptions about what can be owned, displayed, and valued. Its presence in a major museum underscores how institutional frameworks can transform the mundane into a subject of prolonged reflection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Maurizio Cattelan (Italian: ; born 21 September 1960) is an Italian visual artist.
