A crypto guru spent $6.2 million on a banana taped to a wall
Contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian” – a banana duct-taped to the wall, exactly 160 centimeters from the floor – sold for $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction this week, in the latest iteration of a saga that first captured the art world in 2019.
Cattelan, an Italian, is known for his satirical and tongue-in-cheek art work. Among his most famous pieces are a solid gold, fully functional toilet entitled “America” and “La Nona Ora,” a sculpture of a pope laying on the ground after getting hit by a meteorite.
Chinese crypto guru Justin Sun announced that he purchased “Comedian” in a Wednesday evening post to X. Sun will reportedly pay the $6.2 million to Sotheby’s using crypto-currency.
“This is not just an artwork; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history,” Sun wrote on X.
“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. Stay tuned!”
In advance of the sale, Sotheby’s displayed “Comedian” at its locations in cities including Dubai and Tokyo. The auction house also distributed banana-themed swag, including t-shirts and stickers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Sotheby’s even planned for the possibility of someone attempting to eat the banana before its sale – Cattelan instructs individuals who own or display “Comedian” to keep their own stock of bananas and duct-tape in supply, so the work remains fresh.
“Passionately debated, rhapsodically venerated, and hotly contested – and eaten not only once, but twice – the work headlined news stories shared around the world, becoming the most talked-about artwork of the century,” an official Sotheby’s statement read.
“Evoking and advancing the strategies of his predecessors with sardonic and subversive wit, Cattelan – in his greatest coup to date – single-handedly prompted the world to reconsider how we define art, and the value we seek in it. We may be in on Cattelan’s joke, but Comedian is anything but.”
