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Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous duct-taped banana is now the most expensive fruit in the world. This past Wednesday night, the piece, titled Comedian, sold for over $6 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, drawing in bids online, by phone, and in the room itself.
The banana’s starting price was set at $800,000, a significant mark-up from previous editions that sold for $120,000 to $150,000 when it first debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. Rapid-fire bidding for the duct-taped banana concluded within minutes when Justin Sun, a Chinese-born crypto entrepreneur, beat his seven other rivals and placed the winning bid.
The banana’s final price, including a buyer’s premium and auction-house fees, clocked in at $6.24 million, over six times higher than Sotheby’s low-end estimate of $1 million. Comedian is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, a single banana, a roll of duct tape, and installation instructions for replacing the fruit once it rots. The Dole banana that was taped to the wall at the Sotheby's auction was actually bought at a nearby fruit stand in Manhattan for 35 cents.
“This is not just an artwork; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” Sun wrote on Instagram. He also added, “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.”
Since 2019, Cattelan’s Comedian has generated everything from admiration and curiosity to scorn and protest. Whatever the reaction, this duct-taped banana has proven that even the most viral or controversial artwork can and will be valuable.
Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous duct-taped banana sold for $6.24 million at a Sotheby’s auction this past Wednesday night.
The final price tag was over six times higher than Sotheby’s low-end estimate of $1 million.
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Justin Sun, a Chinese-born crypto entrepreneur, beat out seven other rivals during bidding, and plans to eat the banana in the coming days.
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Source: Sotheby's; Who’s Laughing Now? Banana-as-Art Sells for $6.2 Million at Sotheby’s
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