The viral Art Basel banana just got sold again. Here’s how much someone paid
The banana that was famously duct taped to a wall at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019 apparently still has appeal.
Someone really rich just bought a certificate of authenticity that gives him the authority to similarly duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it “Comedian,” the name bad boy Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan gave his unusual creation.
Bidding at Wednesday’s Sotheby’s auction in New York started at $800,000, with the winner — Justin Sun, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur — shelling out $6.2 million.
“Balancing profound critical thought and subversive wit, this is a defining work for the artist and for our generation,” the auction house’s head of contemporary art for the Americas, David Galperin, said of “Comedian.”
The original fruit that hung at the Miami Beach Convention Center was reportedly bought at a nearby grocery store; Cattelan specified that it could be replaced by the owner when it decayed.
After the banana was snatched and gulped down by a fellow artist, it was indeed replaced, but not before an activist vandalized the exhibit, writing “Epstien [sic] didn’t kill himself” in lipstick on the wall.
The conceptual piece, from that point onward had to be guarded by security, eventually sold for $120,000.
In a statement, Sun admitted that his prized possession will not be preserved but digested — by him.
“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.”
