NEW YORK — A banana stuck to a wall sold for $6.2 million at a New York art auction Wednesday, with the winning bid coming from a prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur.
The piece of concept art consisted of a simple banana, taped to a wall.
The “Comedian” banana
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-tape banana, called “Comedian,” was a phenomenon during its 2019 debut at Art Basel Miami Beachwhile festival-goers tried to determine whether the single yellow fruit affixed to a white wall with silver tape was a joke or a cheeky comment on questionable standards among art collectors. At some point, another artist took the banana from the wall and ate it.
The “Comedian” fanny pack attracted so much attention that it had to be removed from view. But three editions sold between $120,000 and $150,000according to the gallery handling sales at the time.
Eduardo Muñoz Álvarez / AP
Who bought the banana taped to a wall?
Five years later, Justin Sun, founder of cryptocurrency platform TRON, has now paid more than 40 times that higher price at Sotheby’s auction. Or, more precisely, Sun purchased a certificate of authenticity that gives him the authority to stick a banana on a wall and call it “Comedian.”
The piece attracted much attention during the bustling auction at Sotheby’s, with attendees in the crowded room holding up phones to take photos while two handlers wearing white gloves stood on either side of the banana.
Bidding started at $800,000 and climbed within minutes to $2 million, then $3 million, then $4 million, and more, as the auctioneer, Oliver Barker, joked , “Don’t let it slip away.”
“Don’t miss this opportunity,” Barker said. “These are words I never thought I would say: five million dollars for a banana.”
The final hammer price announced in the room was $5.2 million, not including the approximately $1 million in auction fees paid by the buyer.
In a statement, Sun said the work “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.” But he said the latest version of “Comedian” won’t last long.
“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,” Sun said.
Sotheby’s considers Cattelan “one of the most brilliant provocateurs of contemporary art.”
“He consistently disrupted the status quo of the art world in meaningful, irreverent and often controversial ways,” the auction house said in a description of “Comedian.”
Magritte painting sold for a record $121.2 million
The sale comes a day after a painting by Belgian surrealist René Magritte sold for $121.2 million, a record for the artist, at a separate auction.
“The Empire of Light,” an eerie nocturnal streetscape under a pale blue daytime sky, was sold Tuesday as part of Christie’s sale of the collection of interior designer Mica Ertegun, who died in the year last at 97 years old.
This sale elevates Magritte to the ranks of artists whose works have reached more than $100 million at auction. Magritte is the 16th member of the club, which also includes Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, according to market analysis firm Artprice.
“The Empire of Light,” executed in 1954, was one of 17 versions of the same scene painted in oil by Magritte. Marc Porter, president of Christie’s Americas, called the sale “a historic moment in our auction house.”
The $121.2 million price included the auction house’s fees. The buyer was a telephone bidder whose identity has not been released.
