The fruitful career of an Arts Photographer
Maurizio Cattelan, Comedian, Perrotin Gallery. Photo: David Owens
On Tuesday 3rd December I photographed a sculpture by Maurizio Cattelan, titled Comedian, that was a banana taped to the wall. The artwork was discovered by Helen Stolias (the America’s Editor of The Art Newspaper) at the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair and the story was broken by the paper’s Chief Contributing Editor Gareth Harris and was printed in the next day’s opening fair edition of the Art Newspaper as well as online. Thanks to the willing subject in my photo, Lisa Rockford - artist, curator, professor, and Art Basel tour guide @rockfordprojects.
By the end of that week, the story and the artwork had become worldwide news and the subject of hundreds of memes. Upon my return to London, even my 85-year-old mother had heard about it. A quick google image search of my Art Newspaper cover photo, returned over 3.5 billion results. The photo is on websites in all corners of the globe albeit with a photographers credit on only a small percentage of them.
The artwork even has its own instagram account: @cattelanbanana which features a taped up copy of the Fair Paper.
The Art Newspaper Art Basel Miami Beach 2019 issue 1 @cattelanabanana
The Art Newspaper Art Basel Miami Beach 2019 issue 1 @theartnewspaper.official
An unknown passer-by took this of me and posted on instagram @timetotrain_gri
The best part for me was when the Art Newspaper's writer Vanessa Thill showed me a photo sent by her friend who works at the art handler’s company, Dietl, where their team had reenacted my photo with one of their staff looking at a taped-up banana and an apple. Perhaps a harsh critique of the original photo/artwork and but very funny none the less. Photos by the Deitl team.
You haven’t made it as an international arts photographer unless your work has been ridiculed on Italian national television.
Comedy show: Lucia Littizzetto e la letterina a papa Francesco - Che tempo che fa 15/12/2019
Actually, I am no stranger to photographing bananas at international art fairs. Back in 2011, I captured three banana-based artworks, two at Frieze London and a 1970s camper van full of them at Art Basel Miami Beach.
Paulo Nazareth, Banana Market/Art Market, 2011 ABMB, 1978 Volkswagen Van filled with one ton of bananas (replaceable) Photo: David Owens
Urs Fischer's hanging banana, Gagosian Gallery
Frieze Art Fair London 2011, Photo: David Owens
Elmgreen & Dragset, The Fruit of Knowledge, Victoria Miro Gallery
Frieze Art Fair London 2011, Photo: David Owens
Not the strangest thing I have been asked to photograph for The Art Newspaper. I once photographed an artist painting a patch of grass green with emulsion paint with a roller in Regents Park at Frieze London whilst Louisa Buck interviewed him. Another time I photographed an artist at Art Basel, Switzerland using a lawn strimmer to mix beige coloured fish roe in the boot of a beige coloured interior of an 80’s car. However, it is my banana photo which is undoubtedly the most viewed photograph I have ever taken, until my next one of course……….
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