A banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s art auction

Maurizio Cattelan’s art installation “Comedian” sold at auction at Sotheby’s in New York on Wednesday, purchased by a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur for approximately $6.2 million.

Sotheby’s described the artwork as “Passionately debated, rhapsodically venerated, and hotly contested.”

All of this is important to keep in mind when considering that Cattelan’s “Comedian” is a single banana, reportedly purchased on the day of the auction for $0.35 according to the New York Times, and duct-taped to a blank wall.

Cattelan unveiled the project to the public in 2019 at Art Basel in Miami, where three editions of it sold for $120,000 and $150,000.

From the moment it debuted, the duct-taped banana became a viral sensation and a seemingly absurd commentary on the question of “what is art?”

For many, ‘Comedian’ is an object lesson in the excesses of the art world, the absurdity of the art market, and the gaping wealth inequalities that now define the global economy.

Shortly after the first sale, a performance artist simply pulled the banana off the wall and ate it in front of a crowd, the banana was simply replaced and “Comedian” continued its existence.

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.”