Maurizio Cattelan's Banana Artwork Sells for $6.2 Million at Sotheby’s
Maurizio Cattelan's controversial artwork, Comedian, featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, has sold for a staggering $6.2 million (£4.9 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, far surpassing its pre-sale estimate.
The winning bid came from Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who outpaced six rivals to secure the Italian artist’s provocative installation. Following the purchase, Mr. Sun declared, “In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience.”
This sale makes Comedian one of the most expensive fruit-themed artworks ever. Ironically, the banana used in the piece cost just $0.35 earlier in the day, according to The New York Times.
Comedian debuted in 2019 and quickly became a viral sensation, sparking widespread debate about the definition of art. The installation includes instructions for replacing the banana once it rots, making it as much a conceptual piece as a physical one. Over the years, the banana has been eaten multiple times, becoming a performance element in itself.
In 2023, a South Korean art student famously ate the banana when the installation was displayed at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul. The museum promptly replaced the fruit without further incident. Similarly, in 2019, a performance artist consumed the banana shortly after it was sold for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami. Again, the artwork was restored with a fresh banana.
The installation’s new owner, Justin Sun, is a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency world. He founded the Tron blockchain network, which supports cryptocurrency transactions and has been embroiled in legal controversies. In 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Mr. Sun of fraud, alleging that he artificially inflated trading volumes of Tron’s crypto token, TRX. Mr. Sun has denied these charges.
The sale of Comedian at such a high price underscores its cultural significance and the ongoing debate over the boundaries of contemporary art. While some see it as a critique of consumerism and the commodification of art, others dismiss it as a trivial stunt. Regardless, the artwork continues to captivate audiences and challenge perceptions, proving that even a banana can spark conversations that transcend the art world.
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