A banana duct-taped to a wall by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and called “Comedian” has sold for $6.2 million at a New York auction.
Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun made the purchase, calling it a cultural bridge between art, memes, and the crypto world.
Given the shelf life of a banana, Sun is essentially buying a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Cattelan as well as instructions about how to replace the fruit when it goes bad.
The entrepreneur, who watched the auction from Hong Kong, added that “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.”
On a phone call, he predicted that since the election of Donald J. Trump, and a rise in the value of cryptocurrencies, “I think we are still going to see strong art buying from the crypto community.”
The artwork, initially priced at $120,000, drew seven bidders and far exceeded Sotheby’s $1-1.5 million estimate.
