When Baking Meets Contemporary Art

Roberta Cutillo (December 12, 2019)
A bakery in Milan models a panettone after Maurizio Cattelan’s latest artwork, “Comedian,” the star of this year’s Art Basel Miami.

The undisputed star of this year’s Art Basel Miami, one of the main contemporary art fairs in the world, was without a doubt Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian.” 

 

After selling for $120,000, the work - which consists of a banana taped to a wall - became a media phenomenon when Georgian-born artist David Datuna walked up to the Emnanuel Perrotin Gallery booth, pulled the banana off the wall and began eating it in a performance piece he dubbed “Hungry Artist,” prompting widespread debates in the art world and beyond.

 

Since then, the infamous banana has been popping up everywhere, in ads, internet memes, and now in bakeries. 

 

Just in time for the holiday season, Milan’s Pasticceria Clivati dedicated a special panettone - a Italian typical fluffy Christmas cake - to the artwork, made with candied banana, covered in a white glaze that mimics the gallery wall and topped with a banana as ripe as the one used by Cattelan.

 

Founded in 1969, Pasticceria Clivati is spearheading the contemporary bakery concept in Italy by channelling pop culture trends such as this one. Recently, they created a Black Friday inspired cake. 

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