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When is a banana more than just a banana? When a conceptual artist duct tapes it to a wall! Which is what Maurizio Cattelan did five years ago at Art Basel Miami with, yes, a banana duct-taped to a wall in a piece he called Comedian. I’ll be honest, I chuckled when I read the name. Comedian sold for $120,000 at Art Basel, even though shortly after performance artist David Datuna took it off the wall to eat. But you can’t keep good food/art down, so more “editions” of Comedian toured the world for a few years, including a stay in South Korea in 2023… where a hungry student took it off the wall to eat. Does no one respect high art anymore?! At least one person does, and that’s cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun. Sun just won his very own edition of Comedian at a Sotheby’s auction in NYC this week for a whopping $6.2 million. So with the sale, I guess Sotheby’s can now declare, “Yes, we have no bananas.”
Comedian, by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a phenomenon when it debuted in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach, as festival-goers tried to make out whether the single yellow piece of fruit affixed to a white wall with silver duct tape was a joke or cheeky commentary on questionable standards among art collectors. At one point, another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it.
The piece attracted so much attention that it had to be withdrawn from view. But three editions sold for between $120,000 and $150,000, according to the gallery handling sales at the time.
Five years later, Justin Sun, founder of cryptocurrency platform TRON, has now paid more than 40 times that higher price point at the Sotheby’s auction. Or, more accurately, Sun purchased a certificate of authenticity that gives him the authority to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it Comedian.
The piece attracted heavy attention at the busy auction at Sotheby’s, with attendees in the crowded room holding up phones to take photos as two handlers wearing white gloves stood at both sides of the banana.
Bidding started at $800,000 and within minutes shot up to $2 million, then $3 million, then $4 million, and higher, as the auctioneer, Oliver Barker, joked “Don’t let it slip away.”
“Don’t miss this opportunity,” Barker said. “These are words I’ve never thought I’d say: Five million dollars for a banana.”
The final hammer price announced in the room was $5.2 million, which didn’t include the about $1 million in auction house fees, paid by the buyer.
In a statement, Sun said the piece “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.
Wait wait wait — Sun paid $5.2 million + $1 million in auction house fees, just for a certificate of authenticity?? Or no, excuse me, for the “authority” to duct-tape his own banana to a wall. You know what, I’m actually fine with a cryptocurrency bro wasting his money patronizing the arts in such a fashion. If he wants to shell out $6M on a piece of paper, plus the costs of procuring his own art materials (banana and duct tape) to recreate the piece that isn’t included with purchase, all to pull a very short-lived stunt, then go in good, potassium-rich health. Personally, I think conceptual artists these days are really testing the limit of what can conceptually be considered art, but clearly the audience is there, so what do I know! For anyone out there despairing that they’ll never be able to afford one of the great works of art, don’t worry I’ve got you covered: you can purchase one banana for $0.26 at Walmart, a two-pack of duct tape from Amazon for $7.45, and one certificate of authenticity kit that includes premium paper and two serialized hologram stickers for as low as $7.95. Rounding up and leaving room for shipping costs, that’s a savings of at least $6,199,975! So why aren’t I the millionaire, sigh.
Photo note by Celebitchy: This is the artist Maurizio Cattelan with his installation Be Water. His other works include a gold toilet titled America and an extra long shopping cart, Less than Ten Items.
Only in opposite world.
Art sales are money laundering, period.
I was going to say the same exact thing.
Ah, of course. 🤦♀️
Men.
It’s basically an NFT, in real life.
That’s a lot, when it isn’t even the second banana.
Cattelan is creating commentary with his art, and good for him. I side-eye the crypto bro who seems to think he’s doing the same thing and doesn’t realize he’s the butt of the joke.