Art has no limits, they say, but what happened at a Sotheby’s auction in New York was unprecedented: a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold for $5.2 million ($6.2 million with fees).
Although the auction house initially estimated that Maurizio Cattelan’s artwork would fetch $1-1.5 million at most, the final result exceeded all expectations.
For the piece, which was one of three versions created by Cattelan in 2019 titled Comedian, bidding started at $800,000.
As the Guardian describes, the auction, which included bids in cryptocurrency, unfolded rapidly, with the final result far surpassing the initial estimate.
“I never thought I’d say, ‘5 million dollars for a banana,’” remarked auctioneer Oliver Barker.
The winning bid was placed through Sotheby’s office in China on behalf of cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun.
What Sun will receive is a banana, a roll of duct tape, a certificate of authenticity, and detailed instructions on how to install the artwork—including guidelines on how to replace the banana if needed!
“This is not just a work of art. It represents a culture that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and cryptocurrency. I believe it is a piece that will spark thought and discussion and become part of history,” said Sun, the new owner of the banana and duct tape.
He also announced his intention to eat the banana “as a way to honor its place in the history of art and pop culture.”
This artwork gained significant fame when performance artist David Datuna ate its first version during its 2019 debut and again in May 2023 when a student in South Korea consumed it during an exhibition in Seoul.
