Viral: one surreal melding of art and memes and market spectacle, Comedian (2019)—Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous banana duct-taped to a wall—caper took the art world by storm, fetching $6.2 million including fees at Sotheby’s New York. The sale unfolded within the auction house’s The Now and Contemporary evening, marking this spirited artwork’s first appearance on the secondary market.
The lot, covered by a pre-sale guarantee, inspired a seven-minute bidding contest won by Chinese collector and cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun. A repeat buyer of trophy lots, his past acquisitions include a $78 million Alberto Giacometti sculpture. Sun praised the banana as “a work that connects the art world, meme culture, and the crypto community.” And then, in classically Sun style, he put one final twist on it: he intends to eat it.
From Fruit Stand to Auction Block
Comedian carries a price tag that would make even the most seasoned players in the art market blink for a work whose central component can be had from any grocery store. Sotheby’s sourced the banana for this sale from the fruit stand handily located outside their York Avenue headquarters. Alongside the banana and a single roll of duct tape, the new owner gets a certificate of authenticity and a set of display instructions from the artist—essentially, a conceptual framework for restaging the piece with fresh produce.
Since its premiere at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, where it premiered at Emmanuel Perrotin’s gallery booth, Comedian has been the avatar of art-world absurdity and cultural critique. It was Cattelan’s first “sculpture” in 15 years, its simplicity belying the chaotic response it generated. Onlookers crowded the booth, snapping selfies and sparking viral memes, forcing Perrotin to remove the piece from display before the fair. The artist described it as “a reflection on what we value,” though critics praised its wit and derided its excess.
Three editions of Comedian sold at the fair, each for an estimated price between $120,000 and $150,000. One edition now resides in the collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Bidding Bananas: The Auction Play-by-Play
The bidding room was abuzz with anticipation as the banana, duct-taped onto the wall, came on the block. The bidding opened at $1 million and quickly escalated to a hammer price of $5.2 million. The winning bid was by Sun, represented by Sotheby’s Asia Deputy Chairman Jen Hua, topping a flurry of online bidders. Just as in the original sale, the buyer paid in cryptocurrency – a fittingly prescient choice, given that the work has become an emblem of contemporary digital culture.
Sun, the founder of Tron’s blockchain platform, framed his purchase as art and a statement. “This piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history,” he said, adding that eating the banana would serve as an homage to its role in art history and pop culture.
An Artwork for the Ages-or Just a Meme?
The newest Comedian underlines its singular status as both critique and participant in the theatrics of the art market. The work has been eaten quite literally in addition to metaphorically-first by a performance artist at its Miami debut and more recently by an art student at the Leeum Museum in Seoul. Cattelan expressed no concern on either occasion, which underscored the work’s conceptual underpinnings rather than materiality.
But part of Comedian’s appeal resides in its potential to reveal the art world’s hypocrisies. Is it an incisive critique of art-market excess or a winking tribute to it? Its multimillion-dollar price and roster of superstar buyers suggest it could be both.
For Sotheby’s, Comedian offered a perfect blend of spectacle and conceptual depth to headline The Now and Contemporary Auctions. With a banana, duct tape, and a provocative idea, Cattelan has ensured his place in the annals of art history—and perhaps in the annals of Sun’s snack list.
As Sun’s audacious plan to eat the banana unfolds, viewers might wonder if this act will continue the saga of Comedian. If nothing else, it will remind us that in the ever-evolving relationship between art and commerce, sometimes the quietest gestures scream the loudest.
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