A duct-taped banana has somehow sold for a whopping $6.2 million, and the banana wasn’t actually included.
The conceptual art, nothing but a banana duct-taped to a wall, was auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York on Wednesday, with crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun winning it with a bid of the aforementioned amount.
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan debuted the piece called “Comedian” at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. It attracted so much attention that it had to be taken down as folks tried to figure out whether there was some catch.
Three versions sold between $120,000 and $150,000.
Fast forward to 2024, and Sun, the founder of crypto platform TRON, has parted ways with $6.2 million, per NPR.
The sum was only good for a certificate of authenticity that gives him the authority to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it “Comedian.”
Seems like something you could do for free, but not when you have millions to waste.
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Social Media Was In Disbelief After Finding Out Someone Paid That Much For A Duct-Taped Banana
As you may have imagined, the reactions to this were wild.
“This is peak art market madness! People paying millions for something so trivial screams a bubble. That’s a hefty tag for a banana! Not surprised, though. Art is often more about the story than the piece itself,” someone wrote.
“At this point he’s just craving attention,” said another.
“JUST IN: JUSTIN SUN ENGAGING IN BLATANT MONEY LAUNDERING,” a third claimed.
“Not sure who the real comedian is here — the banana, or Cattelan himself. Anyway one thing’s pretty certain: Sotheby’s and Maurizio Cattelan are laughing all the way to the bank,” said another. “Let’s hope the banana doesn’t get stuck in Mr Sun’s throat.”
Sun actually won the auction for $5.2 but has to pay an additional $1 million in auction house fees.
He says the duct-taped banana “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” though he plans to eat it.
“Additionally, 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,” he added.
