Maurizio Cattelan’s art installation, Comedian, was sold at Sotheby’s auction house in New York on Wednesday for an astounding $6.2 million. The winning bidder was Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, founder of the Tron blockchain network.
The sale price far exceeded Sotheby’s initial estimate, which was set between $1 million and $1.5 million. In a statement, the auction house described the piece as “passionately debated, rhapsodically venerated, and hotly contested.”
However, it’s worth noting that Comedian is, quite literally, a single banana—reportedly purchased on the day of the auction for $0.35 —duct-taped to a blank wall.
Despite its humble components, the artwork began bidding at $800,000 and eventually reached $5.2 million, with additional buyer’s premiums bringing the total to $6.2 million.
This sale is only the latest chapter in Comedian’s controversial history. The piece first made its debut at Art Basel in Miami in 2019, where three editions sold for $120,000 and $150,000 each.
The duct-taped banana immediately captured global attention, sparking viral discussions about the boundaries of art. It also inspired a slew of parodies and imitations, including celebrities like Brooke Shields taping bananas to their faces.
Duct Taped Banana, Sotheby’s Auction
Critic Andrew Russeth captured the essence of the debate in 2019, describing Comedian as “an object lesson in the excesses of the art world, the absurdity of the art market, and the gaping wealth inequalities that now define the global economy.”
Adding to its notoriety, a performance artist removed and ate the banana in front of an audience shortly after its debut. This act was repeated in South Korea in 2023, though the banana was replaced each time, allowing Comedian to persist as an artwork.
Following his purchase, Sun outbid six competitors and opted to pay in cryptocurrency, marking another intersection between modern art and emerging technologies.
He referred to Comedian as more than just an artwork, telling, “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.
I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history.” In a surprising twist, Sun reportedly shared plans to eat the banana.
From its inception to its record-breaking sale, Comedian has continued to challenge traditional ideas of art, creating a lasting impact on culture, memes, and discussions about value in the art world.
