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It’s official—art is bananas. Literally.
At a Sotheby’s auction in New York this week, a simple banana, duct-taped to a white wall, sold for $6.2 million. Yes, you read that right. Six million dollars for a banana. And not just any banana, but "Comedian," a piece of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, who has made a name for himself by testing the boundaries of what qualifies as "art."
The winning bid came from Justin Sun, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur, who is now the proud owner of a certificate of authenticity. This certificate, by the way, doesn’t grant him the rights to the banana itself—nope. It’s just a very fancy way of saying, “You’re allowed to tape a banana to a wall and call it art.”
But wait, it gets even more surreal. This is not the first time “Comedian” has been on the auction block. When it debuted in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach, art lovers were torn between whether it was a satirical commentary on the art world’s over-inflated prices or a blatant attempt to see how much people would pay for a banana with duct tape. At one point, someone even ate the banana. (Maybe a little too much “art” for one person to handle?)
Fast forward five years, and Justin Sun’s winning bid was a jaw-dropping $5.2 million, with an additional $1 million in auction fees tacked on. Who knew a fruit salad could come with that much extra cost? Auctioneer Oliver Barker couldn’t help but make light of the bidding frenzy, joking, “Don’t let it slip away,” as the price soared higher and higher.
Now, it’s important to clarify that Sun didn’t just buy the actual banana (which, for the record, would have gone bad long ago). He bought the right to say that he owns a banana taped to a wall. But hold on—there’s more. Sun, in a truly “artistic” move, has announced that he plans to eat the banana himself. That’s right, folks—he’s going to eat his $6.2 million banana as part of this "unique artistic experience." If that’s not a power move, we don’t know what is.
In a statement, Sun said, “This piece represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.” So, it’s not just about the banana, apparently—it’s about the larger concept of the banana. The banana that transcends fruit. The banana that is also a meme, a symbol, and now, a very expensive lunch.
And if you're wondering whether this banana art is the latest example of avant-garde brilliance or simply the ultimate "rich people doing weird things" moment, the auction house certainly has an opinion. Sotheby’s called Cattelan “one of Contemporary Art’s most brilliant provocateurs,” a title that sounds impressive enough to justify paying millions for something that might be mistaken for a snack.
But here’s where the irony truly hits home: The same week that this banana sold for $6.2 million, a René Magritte painting, The Empire of Light, sold for a record $121.2 million. One is a surrealist masterpiece that took hours to paint, while the other... is a banana. (No offense, banana.)
In the end, it doesn’t really matter if you understand "Comedian" or not. What’s clear is that the line between what’s considered art and what’s simply absurd is getting thinner—and possibly more expensive—by the minute.
So, the next time you find yourself in a grocery store, staring at that banana bunch, just remember: In the right context, you too could be holding a $6 million masterpiece.
With information from NPR
