France, June 2 -- The Pompidou-Metz museum, a branch of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, said the banana, famously taped to a wall as part of the Italian artist's provocative work, was noticed missing by a guard on Saturday.

The museum reported the theft to police on Sunday and said it had lodged a criminal complaint against persons unknown.

The banana has since been replaced, in keeping with the artwork's unusual maintenance routine: the perishable fruit at the heart of Comedian is changed every three days to keep the work fresh - literally - and in line with its playful challenge to ideas of artistic value.

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