David Datuna, a performance artist, ripped the banana off the wall in Miami and ate it after it sold for $120,000.
Mr Datuna labelled his act “Hungry Artist”, before saying: “Because I was hungry I just ate it.”
In 2023 a South Korean art student did the same when “Comedian” was displayed in Seoul.
The 64-year-old Mr Cattelan has said his banana piece is “not a joke”.
“It was a sincere commentary and a reflection on what we value. At art fairs, speed and business reign, so I saw it like this: if I had to be at a fair, I could sell a banana like others sell their paintings. I could play within the system, but with my rules.”