Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian” (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
A duct-taped banana has somehow sold for a whopping $6.2 million, and the banana wasn’t actually included.
The conceptual art, nothing but a banana duct-taped to a wall, was auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York on Wednesday, with crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun winning it with a bid of the aforementioned amount.
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan debuted the piece called “Comedian” at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. It attracted so much attention that it had to be taken down as folks tried to figure out whether there was some catch.
Three versions sold between $120,000 and $150,000.
Fast forward to 2024, and Sun, the founder of crypto platform TRON, has parted ways with $6.2 million, per NPR.
The sum was only good for a certificate of authenticity that gives him the authority to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it “Comedian.”
Seems like something you could do for free, but not when you have millions to waste.
⚡️ LATEST: Justin Sun paid $6M for a banana taped to a wall and now plans to eat it
The artwork consists of a regular store-bought banana stuck to a wall with duct tape. It sold in New York for four times the estimated sales price. pic.twitter.com/mWxpGoyD5F
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) November 21, 2024
Social Media Was In Disbelief After Finding Out Someone Paid That Much For A Duct-Taped Banana
As you may have imagined, the reactions to this were wild.
“This is peak art market madness! People paying millions for something so trivial screams a bubble. That’s a hefty tag for a banana! Not surprised, though. Art is often more about the story than the piece itself,” someone wrote.
“At this point he’s just craving attention,” said another.
“JUST IN: JUSTIN SUN ENGAGING IN BLATANT MONEY LAUNDERING,” a third claimed.
⚡️ LATEST: Justin Sun paid $6M for a banana taped to a wall and now plans to eat it
The artwork consists of a regular store-bought banana stuck to a wall with duct tape. It sold in New York for four times the estimated sales price. pic.twitter.com/mWxpGoyD5F
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) November 21, 2024
“Not sure who the real comedian is here — the banana, or Cattelan himself. Anyway one thing’s pretty certain: Sotheby’s and Maurizio Cattelan are laughing all the way to the bank,” said another. “Let’s hope the banana doesn’t get stuck in Mr Sun’s throat.”
Sun actually won the auction for $5.2 but has to pay an additional $1 million in auction house fees.
He says the duct-taped banana “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” though he plans to eat it.
“Additionally, 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,” he added.
PHOTOS: Everyone Was Saying The Same Thing About The Jaw-Dropping Hockey Fan Who Was Distracting The Crowd At Leafs-Devils Game
Female hockey fan (Photos via @danicoopps/IG)
A photo of a female hockey fan who was busting out of her jeans at a Leafs-Devils game in early 2024 has gone viral online again.
Said supporter was pictured in the stands wearing a Devils Jack Hughes jersey, but that was probably the least interesting thing about her as a lower body part caused her to trend on X.
A new set of photos of her showing her assets off has popped up online ahead of the weekend, with one of the accounts posting asking, “Are you a hockey fan?”
Check it out right below:
