Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial artwork, Comedian—a banana duct-taped to a wall—has sold for an astonishing $6.2 million (£4.9 million) at Sotheby’s in New York, surpassing pre-sale estimates by four times.
According to the auction house, Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun outbid six other competitors to acquire the installation by the Italian visual artist on Wednesday.
“In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience,” Mr Sun was quoted as saying.
The taped banana – now perhaps one of the most expensive fruits ever sold – was actually bought earlier in the day for a mere $0.35, according to the New York Times.
“Comedian” was first unveiled to the public in 2019, instantly becoming a viral sensation and also provoking heated debates about what art is.
The installation – which has travelled around the world – comes with instructions on how to replace the banana whenever it rots.
In fact, the fruit has been eaten not once, but twice.
In 2023, a South Korean art student made headlines by eating the banana from Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian installation during its display at Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art. The museum promptly replaced the banana, according to local media reports.
This wasn’t the first time the artwork drew attention. In 2019, a performance artist removed and ate the banana after it sold for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami.
The banana was quickly replaced without further incident.
The recent buyer of the piece, Justin Sun, is the founder of the Tron blockchain network, which supports cryptocurrency transactions.
Sun has faced accusations from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging he inflated trading volumes of TRX, Tron’s cryptocurrency token. Sun has denied the charges.