A vendor who sold a banana for 35 cents was stunned that his product was resold at auction for $6.2 million, UNN reports citing the Daily Mail.
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Shah Alam, 74, works for доларів 12 an hour at a fruit kiosk near Sotheby's auction house on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Justin Sun, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur, won a trade war at Sotheby's, where he bought the infamous installation "comedian" by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, which probably turned out to be the most expensive fruit in the world.
The sensational installation consisted of a banana attached with tape to a blank wall. The fruit was pre-purchased at the Shah Alam kiosk for just 35 cents. The fact that he sold a "multimillion-dollar" banana, the seller found out a few days later.
"I'm a poor man. I've never had that kind of money. I've never seen that kind of money," he told The New York Times.
In 2007, Shah Alam left his job as a civil servant in Bangladesh and moved closer to his daughter on Long Island. He now lives in an apartment he rents for 5 500 a month, which he shares with five other men in the Bronx. In the store, he works 12 hours a day and earns less than доларів 150 per shift.
The merchant sincerely admits that he does not understand what is interesting about the sensational installation and in general who purchased it and why.
The artist who created the comedian, Cattelan, said he appreciated Alam's "role" in the sale.
"I was deeply moved by the banana seller's reaction, highlighting how art can resonate in unexpected and profound ways. However, art by its very nature does not solve problems — if it did, it would be politics."
Justin Sun, who bought the piece of art, said the same thing: "his role in this piece of art is not taken lightly" and called it "touching".
The sale of a banana taped to a wall at an auction in New York for 6 6.2 million stunned many artists around the world-and not just because of the high price. initially, it was expected to sell between 1 1 million and.1.5 million. Bidding started at 8 800,000, and the price quickly rose to a whopping.5.2 million, or rather 6 6.2 million, taking into account the auction house's Commission.
Justin Sun, surpassed the bid of six other interested art lovers to buy the comedian.
"It's not just a work of art," Justin Sun told Sotheby's after his purchase, as reported by Reuters. "This is a cultural phenomenon that combines the worlds of art, memes and cryptocurrency. I believe that the installation will inspire more reflection and discussion in the future and become part of history.
Three previous editions of the painting sold for more than.120,000, but this latest sale was even more surprising.
Instead, they didn't get the original fruit, but only a "certificate of authenticity" that gives them permission to recreate an unusual installation — or, in fact, buy their own banana to stick on the wall.
The opinions of art historians regarding the installation differed. Some believe that it was a brutal defeat of the art world, while others call it "deep and provocative".
Chloe Cooper Jones, a professor at Columbia University's School of art, emphasized the context behind the work of art.
According to her, Cattelan is considered a "trickster artist".
"But his work is often at the intersection of humor and horror. He quite often looks for ways to provoke us, not just for the sake of provocation, but to ask us to look into some of the darkest parts of history and ourselves," says the professor.
The expert believes that the banana is not just a joke, it is a powerful symbol of the exploitation of World Trade, imperialism and corporate greed. And it is difficult to find a simpler and better fruit than a banana for this installation.
recall
Art object "comedian" Maurizio Cattelan in the form of a banana taped to the wall, sold at Sotheby's.
The buyer was crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, who plans to eat a banana.