‘Who Eats Art?’ Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian Headlines Ray-Ban x Meta Superbowl Commercial
By Calla Mitchell
Stills from the Ray-Ban x Meta Superbowl commercial.
Courtesy Ray-Ban and Meta.
Hey Meta, who eats art? Chris Hemsworth does in the new Ray-Ban x Meta advert, which debuted during the 2025 Super Bowl. Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous ‘banana duct-taped to a wall’, entitled Comedian, 2019, serves as both a work of art in Kris Jenner’s collection and a conveniently placed snack to satiate the tummy rumbles of the Australian actor.
The advert opens with American Actor Chris Pratt, artfully dressed in a black turtleneck, blazer, and his Ray-Ban x Meta AI eyeglasses, pensively staring at Comedian. A square-shaped spotlight projects onto the piece, elevating the object from a 27 pence piece of fruit to high art. Pratt proceeds to ask his glasses ‘Hey Meta, what is this artwork?’, and responds with a shocked ‘what?’, after the work’s 6.2 million dollar value is revealed by Meta AI.
Pratt then moves on to contemplate another work in the gallery, a full-length mirror with the words ‘chi di voi è quello vero?’ (Italian for ‘which one of you is real?’, a translation helpfully supplied to Pratt by Meta in the extended version of the advert). The camera then pans to Hemsworth walking up to Pratt holding a half-eaten banana.
After Pratt lets Hemsworth in on the fruit’s seven-figure price tag, panic ensues, with both Chris’ frantically searching Jenner’s kitchen for a replacement. Caught in the act, Jenner is far from amused, stating ‘Hey Meta, call my lawyer.’
The debate of the advert follows: did Hemsworth’s belly intentionally steal Jenner’s art, or did he innocently eat what he thought to be a regular banana? However, pop on Ray-Ban’s new AI glasses, and your argument will be solved in a flash. As the value of the work is not actually derived from the banana itself, but rather the certificate of authenticity and display instructions written by Cattelan (which advise the banana to be changed every 7-10 days), it’s safe to say that theoretically, Hemsworth would get off scot-free.
Funnily enough, this is not the first time this little treat upon the wall satisfied an observer’s tummy. The sculpture, as Cattelan refers to it, has raised questions in regard to its visual status as ‘art’ before, once in 2019, and again in 2023 after a hungry student skipped their breakfast.
Chris Hemsworth, Kris Jenner, and Chris Pratt (from left) for Ray-Ban and Meta.
Courtesy Ray-Ban and Meta.
However, in addition to tickling the art industry and reinviting the long-standing question of ‘what is art?’, the advert touches on a wider issue, the growing role of AI in our society. Pretty soon, the once loved idiom ‘blood, sweat and tears’ may cease to exist in our daily dialogue! Whilst not a new concept, with the development of artificial intelligence dating back to 1956, AI is a hungrier monster than ever. Who knows when its appetite will be satisfied? It appears the tasty Ray-Ban eyewear company has become AI’s next snack.
Bibliography
Bowley, Graham. “It’s a Banana. It’s Art. And Now It’s the Guggenheim’s Problem.” The New York Times, September 18, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/arts/design/banana-art-guggenheim.html
Cassady, Daniel. “Meta asks ‘Who Eats Art?’ in Upcoming Super Bowl Commercial, Featuring Maurizio Cattelan’s Word-Famous Banana.” ARTnews, February 7, 2025, https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/super-bowl-commercial-meta-ray-ban-maurizio-cattelan-hemsworth-jenner-pratt-banana-1234732013/
Porterfield, Carlie. “‘The World’s Most Expensive Banana’: Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian fetches $6.2m at Sotheby’s New York.” The Art Newspaper, November 21, 2024, https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/11/21/maurizio-cattelan-banana-sothebys-6-million-auction-comedian
Ray-Ban and Meta. “Hey Meta, Who Eats Art? Ft. Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt and Kris Jenner.” Posted February 3, 2025. YouTube, 0:30, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cqwXxUo_q8
Street, Mikelle. “Chris Hemsworth Eats Kris Jenner’s Banana Art, Chriss Prat Supports Ray-Ban Meta Glasses in Super Bowl 2025 Commercial.” Women’s Wear Daily, February 9, 2025, https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/ray-ban-meta-super-bowl-commercial-1236918958/