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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224 Comments
- kokepewecuga2 dayswhy pay this much money for a banana
ilovehenrydsaf3 daysIts actually outrageous how much money people bid on this. Its so pointless, its funny. Every time I see it, I get a good kick out of it. Reminds me of banana man by tally hall, lol
sbd110114 dayswill an orange work ?- sbd110114 daysmother wheres the duct tape👁👄👁
averyunicorns15 daysI stopped viewing this as a article but as a guide to get rich- sbd110114 dayslol
firuhadolafaabout 1 monthTime to tape some stuff to a wall and get rich- amongusbigmac67about 1 monthSo if I tape an apple on a wall. Does that mean I'm gonna get rich?
i_love_taytayabout 1 monthI don't even like banana i also don't have 5,200,000 dollors
cockatiellvrabout 1 monthfruit+tape= richness
bellabigbacabout 2 monthsbro im literaly gunna get a banana tape it and get rich
426606about 1 monthsame!!lol!!