Maurizio Cattelan's Work 'Comedian'
Sold for $6.2 Million at New York Sotheby's Auction
Winning Bidder is Justin Sun, Creator of Cryptocurrency 'Tron'
At a contemporary art auction held in New York, USA, a single banana attached to a wall was sold for $6.2 million (approximately 8.7 billion KRW). It is the work 'Comedian' by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, which caused a great stir in the installation art world.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 20th (local time), at the Sotheby's contemporary art auction in New York that evening, the work 'Comedian' by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold for $6.2 million. Although it was just a single banana taped to the wall with thick duct tape, the starting bid of $800,000 surpassed the highest estimated price of $1.5 million in less than 20 seconds, attracting intense interest.
The new owner of the 'banana' was confirmed to be Justin Sun, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur born in China. The cryptocurrency 'Tron' that he created ranks 10th in market capitalization according to Coinbase. The winning bidder will receive the banana, a roll of duct tape, and a certificate of authenticity. An installation guide explaining how to replace the banana each time it rots is also included.
In a statement sent to Sotheby's, Sun said, "This is not just an art piece but a cultural phenomenon connecting the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community," adding, "I believe this work will inspire more thoughts and discussions in the future, and this too will become part of history." He also mentioned plans to eat the banana, saying, "This is also a way to respect the place bananas hold in art history and popular culture."
This work was first introduced by Cattelan at the 2019 Miami Art Fair in the United States, causing a significant stir in the art world. At the art fair, a performance artist ate the banana off the wall in front of hundreds of spectators, which became a hot topic. Due to the overwhelming number of visitors, the organizers eventually had to remove the artwork.
The work consists of a total of three editions, which were sold at $120,000 to $150,000 (approximately 160 million to 210 million KRW) each at the time. One of these was donated to the Guggenheim Museum, and the other two are privately owned. The previous owner of the piece auctioned this time is unknown.
Bloomberg reported that when the artwork appeared at the auction, the packed attendees stood up simultaneously and recorded videos with their phones, conveying the atmosphere at the scene. The NYT noted, "The banana, which has sparked controversy in the art world for years, has found a new owner," adding, "It has become the most expensive fruit in the world, but it is likely to be discarded within a few days."
The banana in the artwork at the auction was a Dole brand sold for 35 cents (about 500 KRW) at a fruit stand near Manhattan's Upper East Side before the auction, according to the NYT. The Bangladeshi vendor said he was unaware that the banana he sold was sold for thousands of times its original price.
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