Completely bananas! This work of art was auctioned for so many millions
New York - Ironically, the art installation by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is called "Comedian". But the price that was offered for this work quickly makes you stop laughing.
As the American news channel CNN reported, this work of art was auctioned off at New York auction house Sotheby's on Wednesday.
There was already an auction for this fruit in 2019. At this auction, the banana (and the piece of duct tape) was sold for 120,000 dollars (approx. 113,769 euros).
The auction house estimated the value of the art installation at 1-1.5 million dollars at the last auction and accepted initial bids starting at 800,000 dollars.
However, this estimate quickly proved to be completely understated, as the third edition of the artwork was sold to a Chinese entrepreneurfor an incredible 6.24 million dollars (the equivalent of 5.92 million euros) !
Auction winner Justin Sun is delighted: "Represents a cultural phenomenon"
The winner of the auction, Justin Sun, is a passionate art collector and founder of a cryptocurrency platform.
After the auction, he was asked by the press what the artwork meant to him.
"It's not just a work of art," he said. "It represents a cultural phenomenon that builds a bridge between the world of art, memes from the internet and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece of art will be a stimulus for more thought and discussion and will go down in history."
Unlike a painting, however, the banana and duct tape combination has the unfortunate effect that it will eventually start to rot.
That is why Justin Sun did not receive the artwork and the wall on which it is located, but a standard banana, a roll of duct tape and detailed instructions on how to hang the artwork in his home. Of course, he also received a certificate of authenticity.