The art world just got a bit more bananas.
A piece called Comedian by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan sold for $6.2 million at an auction in New York, New York, on November 20. The work is a banana duct-taped to a wall.
The winning bid came from Justin Sun. He is the founder of a cryptocurrency platform called TRON. Sun purchased a certificate of authenticity at the Sotheby’s auction. It gives him the authority to duct-tape any banana to a wall and call it Comedian.
Maurizio Cattelan’s pricey plantain caused quite a stir when it debuted in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach. Festivalgoers were divided in a banana split. Many wondered whether the taped yellow fruit was a joke. Others guessed it was a commentary on questionable standards among art collectors.
At one point, another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it.
The piece attracted so much attention that it had to be withdrawn from view. But three editions sold for between $120,000 and $150,000, according to the gallery that handled the sales.
Bidding at the Sotheby auction started at $800,000. Within minutes, it shot into the millions.
Oliver Barker was the auctioneer. “Don’t miss this opportunity,” he said. “These are words I’ve never thought I’d say: five million dollars for a banana.”
The final hammer price announced in the room was $5.2 million. That doesn’t include an additional amount of about $1 million in auction house fees. Those are also paid by the buyer.
What’s so a-peeling about this piece? In a statement, Sun said it “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.” He admitted the latest version of Comedian won’t last long.
“In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture,” Sun says.
It’s not every day you spend more than $6 million on an artistic potassium boost.
The piece also may be a reminder that every comedian (and artist) needs to keep his or her material fresh. Over time, it might pass its best-by date.
David Galperin is Sotheby’s head of contemporary art. He believes Cattelan’s Comedian is profound. “What Cattelan is really doing is turning a mirror to the contemporary art world and asking questions, provoking thought about how we ascribe value to artworks [and] what we define as an artwork,” Galperin says.
