The art world appears to have moved over Picasso. There’s a new muse in town: a banana duct-taped to a wall. Crypto entrepreneur and Tron founder Justin Sun recently splashed a jaw-dropping $6.2 million at Sotheby’s New York for “Comedian,” Maurizio Cattelan’s viral “artwork” consisting of…well, a banana and some duct tape.
And in true Justin Sun fashion, he plans to eat it.
“This is not just an artwork,” Sun declared on X “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges art, memes, and the crypto community.” Evidently, nothing screams cultural phenomenon quite like paying the price of a New York penthouse for fruit with trust issues.
The auction, described as fast and “slippery,” began at $800,000 and escalated quicker than Bitcoin in 2021. Sotheby’s auctioneer Oliver Barker leaned into the theme with puns aplenty, urging bidders not to “let it slip away.” Six hopefuls, bananas in hand (figuratively speaking), vied for the prize, but Sun emerged victorious with a $5.2 million bid – plus $1 million in Sotheby’s fees. Yes, even the duct tape comes with premium pricing.
For his investment, Sun receives a 35-cent banana, a roll of duct tape, and an instruction manual on replacing said banana when it inevitably goes mushy. Oh, and a certificate of authenticity. Because, obviously, counterfeit bananas are a real concern.
This isn’t the banana’s first rodeo. It made its debut at Art Basel Miami in 2019, where it sold for a whopping $120,000 and sparked a feeding frenzy of debate about art’s value. Performance artists ate it, copycats munched on it, and the world scratched its collective head.
Sun’s promise to eat the banana may ensure its place in art history, but whether this “cultural phenomenon” tastes worth $6.2 million remains to be seen.
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