Duct-Taped Banana Sells for $5.2M

Maurizio Cattelan's artwork was auctioned off, though neither the tape nor banana is original
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 21, 2024 1:00 AM CST
Duct-Taped Banana Sells for $5.2M
Artist Maurizio Cattelan's piece of art "Comedian" hangs on display during an auction preview at Sotheby's in New York, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.   (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Maurizio Cattelan's infamous duct-taped banana, a work first displayed on a wall at Art Basel in Miami Beach and sold for $120,000, has now sold for more than 40 times that amount. Sotheby's New York auctioned off one of three editions of the artwork, titled "Comedian," Wednesday night, and crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun had the winning bid at $5.2 million. With the buyer's premium, he will end up paying $6.2 million, the Guardian reports. Interestingly, the banana that was auctioned off was purchased at a Manhattan fruit stand the morning of the auction for 35 cents, the New York Times reports. Sun will receive the banana, a roll of duct tape (which is also not original), a certificate of authenticity, and instructions for how to display the work. (Yes, the banana can be replaced, and the instructions cover that.)

"This is not just an artwork, it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community," Sun said in a statement to the auction house. "I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history." As for the banana, he said he plans to eat it in order to honor "its place in both art history and popular culture." (More strange stuff stories.)

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