Duct-taped banana artwork brings millions at Sotheby's unusual auction

A simple banana fixed to wall with duct-tape just sold for over $6 million at Sothebyʼs. The crypto-entrepreneur buyer plans to eat the fruit‚ following previous viewers actions

November 21 2024 , 11:26 AM  •  2456 views

Duct-taped banana artwork brings millions at Sotheby's unusual auction

At yesterdayʼs Sothebyʼs auction a peculiar art-piece (consisting of just a banana and duct-tape) reached an eye-popping $6.2 million. The high-profile sale shows how simple objects can turn into million-dollar masterpieces

The piece called “Comedian“ by Maurizio Cattelan first appeared at Miamiʼs Art-Basel about 5 years ago; where it caused such a stir that staff had to remove it due to safety worries. The crowd-drawing installation became an overnight internet sensation

Starting at $800‚000 the bidding went quick — taking just five-minutes to hit $5.2 million plus fees. Justin Sun the crypto-world figure made the winning bid by phone and chose to pay in digital currency: heʼll need to swap bananas when they go bad

This isnt just an artwork; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art memes and the cryptocurrency community

Statement by Justin Sun to Sothebyʼs

Art-world experts compare this piece to Banksyʼs famous self-destroying painting from several years back. Both works question the meaning of art itself; while Cattelan (known for his golden toilet and pope-related sculptures) keeps making art that makes people think — and sometimes laugh