A provocative work of art by Maurizio Cattelan, representing a banana taped to the wall, was sold for $6.2 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York, which is four times higher than preliminary estimates, writes UNN citing BBC News.
Details
An auction house says Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun outbid six other competitors to get the Italian artist's “Comedian” installation on Wednesday.
“In the coming days, I will personally eat a banana as part of this unique artistic experience,” San was quoted as saying.
The scotch-taped banana - now arguably one of the most expensive fruits ever sold - was actually purchased earlier that day for just $0.35, according to the New York Times.
“The Comedian” was first presented to the public in 2019, instantly becoming a viral sensation and also provoking heated debates about what constitutes art.
The installation, which has traveled the world, comes with instructions on how to replace the banana if it's rotted.
In fact, the fruit was eaten not once, but twice.
In 2023, a South Korean art student was in for a treat when the installation went on display at the Lium Art Museum in Seoul.
The museum later put a new banana in the same place, local media reported.
Four years ago, a performance artist took a banana off a wall after the artwork sold for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami.
The banana was quickly replaced and no further action was taken.
Supplement
Justin Sun runs the Tron blockchain network, which facilitates some cryptocurrency transactions. Last year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged him with fraud, saying he falsely inflated trading volumes of TRX, Tron's crypto token. Sun denies the allegations.