Duct-Taped Banana "Art" Sells For Over $6 Million!
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"Comedian," a conceptual artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, fetched an astounding $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction on November 20, 2024. Bidding began at $800,000 and quickly surged to $4 million and then $5.2 million, plus $1 million in auction fees. The final price surpassed the $1.2 million pre-auction estimate for the artwork.
Created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, "Comedian" sparked widespread controversy when it debuted at Miami's Art Basel in 2019. Cattelan explained that the piece explored how society assigns value to everyday objects. He had initially thought of crafting a banana using resin or bronze. However, the artist ultimately chose a real banana to convey his message. The artwork gained even more fame after a visitor ate the banana, forcing officials to replace it with a backup.
Its immense popularity drew large crowds. Concerned the visitors might damage other artworks"Comedian" was eventually removed from public display. However, three editions of the artwork were sold at the time for prices ranging from $120,000 to $150,000 each. One of these was later donated to the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. It remains unclear which edition was auctioned on November 20.
Regardless, five years later, Chinese-born entrepreneur Justin Sun paid over 40 times the highest original price for "Comedian". The artwork's value was not in the banana itself, which had been purchased earlier that day for just 35 cents. Instead, its worth lies in the certificate of authenticity. It grants Sun the right to duct tape a banana to a wall and call it "Comedian." He also received installation instructions, including how to replace the fruit whenever it rots.
Sun said. "[The artwork] represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community."
"Additionally, 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." he remarked.
Sun made good on this promise by devouring the fruit in a press conference held in Hong Kong on November 29, 2024.
“It’s much better than other bananas,” Sun told reporters. “It’s really quite good.”
Since the sale, a kind Samaritan has helped raise over $19,000 to support the New York fruit vendor whose banana was used in the auction.
Resources: NPR.org, Smithsonianmag.com, CNN.com
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203 Comments
ringoanne26 daysHOWWWW DID IT SELL IT IS JUST LITRALLY A BANANA WITH DUCK TAPE STICKING ON THE WALL
1_that_one_guyabout 1 monthThe ending was crazy. Eating a banana worth more that most peoples houses
demonslayerkingabout 1 monthIt is interesting i like it
ilikementos2 monthswelp, time to glue a pear to a wall and sell it for 300,000 bucks. Any bidders?- 1_that_one_guy2 monthsThis guy Just ate 6 million dollars in under 2 minutes
artsyf0xy73 monthsthats it , I'm doing this with an apple . I'm ductaping It on my wall . selling it for 145m
audreylin13 monthsIt is so crazy! A banana that is just typed cost 6.2 million dollars!!! Even though the banana just tasted better than normal bananas! I bet everyone can do that, and I just don't know the differences between a typed banana on a wall tasted better than a banana that is not typed!
animals_lover3 monthsThat's it! I'm taking a orange from my fridge and scotch taping it to the wall! Crossing my fingers I can find some billionaire that will buy a orange scotch taped to the wall for like 2 million.- artsyf0xy73 monthsI'm doing that , but with an apple x3
gygolabukyji3 monthsI thnk that this banana thing is kind of weird
hermionegrant4 monthsIt feels kind of like a scam.
2contrerassv3 monthsI feel you the banana can get brown in like a day
gamergeek3 monthsImo Its A Publicity Stunt...No Offense
abbyluvsu3 monthsYeah,I saw someone do it on YouTube