Maurizio Cattelan’s viral artwork depicting a banana stuck to a wall with duct tape it was sold at auction for 5.2 million of dollars, exceeding the initial estimates which were between 1 and 1.5 million dollars. One of three editions of the 2019 work, titled Comedian, debuted at auction Wednesday evening at Sotheby’s New York. A competitive and fast-paced auction, where cryptocurrency bids were accepted, bidding started at US$800,000 and quickly surpassed initial estimates.
The banana purchased for 35 cents
“I never thought I’d say ‘5 million dollars for a banana,’” joked auctioneer Oliver Barker as the auction neared its climax. The banana displayed at Sotheby’s had supposedly been purchased for 35 cents that day. Jen Hua of Sotheby’s China office submitted the winning bid on behalf of Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who will pay $6.2 million, including the buyer’s premium. In exchange, Sun will receive a banana and a roll of tape, as well as a certificate of authenticity and instructions on how to install the work, including how to replace the banana if he wishes. “This is not just a work of art. It represents a cultural phenomenon that unites the worlds of art, memes and the cryptocurrency community,” Sun said in the Sotheby’s statement.
“I believe this piece will inspire further reflection and discussion in the future and become part of history.”
Who is Cattelan
In addition to his bananas, Cattelan is also known for producing a fully functional 18-karat gold toilet called “America,” which was offered to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.
His works are often humorous and deliberately provocative, such as a 1999 sculpture of the pope stranded by a meteor titled “The Ninth Hour.”