Maurizio Cattelan’s tongue-in-cheek art piece of a banana duct-taped to a wall has fetched a staggering $6.2 million at Sotheby’s in New York on Nov. 20. The final bid of the artwork, titled Comedian, was four times higher than pre-sale estimates.
The successful bidder was Justin Sun, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur overseeing the Tron blockchain network facilitating some cryptocurrency transactions. Sun outbid six others to obtain the installation.
On Nov. 29, Sun ate the banana at a press conference at the Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong, as part of the installation’s artistic experience. This duct-taped banana, now one of the most expensive fruits ever sold, was bought earlier on the day of the auction for just 35 cents. Sun holds the right to recreate the artwork, but not multiple co-existing copies.
Cattelan first unveiled Comedian in 2019. The original artwork used a banana that only cost 25 cents. The installation instantly went viral, provoking heated debates about what constitutes art. According to the 64-year-old Italian visual artist, the piece purposefully provokes the viewer, inviting them to think about the value of art and the dynamics of the art market.
The Comedian has been on display worldwide, and whenever the banana rots, it is replaced. The banana has been eaten twice while still on exhibit. Last year, when Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art hosted the piece, a young South Korean art student pulled the banana from the wall and ate it, claiming to be hungry. And four years ago, a performance artist ate the banana after the artwork sold for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami. Both times, the museum placed a new banana in the same spot, taking no further action.
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1. How much did Comedian sell for at Sotheby’s auction on Nov. 20?
2. Who was the successful bidder of the artwork, and what is his professional background?
3. What was Maurizio Cattelan’s intention behind creating Comedian?
4. How does the artwork change over time, and how is this managed during exhibits?
1. Do you think Comedian is worth $6.2 million? Why or why not?
2. How do you interpret the concept of replacing the banana when it rots? Does it enhance or diminish the value of the artwork?
3. Does Comedian qualify as art? Why do you think some people find it thought-provoking?
4. How do you think Comedian reflects the relationship between art and commerce in today’s world?
Maurizio Cattelan’s tongue-in-cheek art piece of a banana duct-taped to a wall has fetched a staggering $6.2 million at Sotheby’s in New York on Nov. 20. The final bid of the artwork, titled Comedian, was four times higher than pre-sale estimates.
