Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian – or as it is better known, the banana duct-taped to a wall – has sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $US6.24 million ($9.57 million), beating early estimates by more than six times. The winning bid came from a prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur.
The work was created in 2019 and exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach, where it sold for $US120,000. Since then, Comedian has been shown around the world, including at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2023.
A National Gallery of Victoria art handler with Comedian.Credit: Eugene Hyland
Given the simplicity of the concept – a normal banana stuck to a wall with silver duct tape – the pricetag might seem remarkable. Making an identical version of the work wouldn’t be difficult (or expensive).
Speaking to this masthead last year, Cattelan was asked how he prevents imitations. “Why would I?” he said.
Bidding started at $US800,000 and rapidly shot up. For Justin Sun, the winning bidder in the Sotheby’s auction in New York and founder of cryptocurrency platform Tron, the multimillion-dollar outlay has bought a certificate of authenticity which authorises the owner to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it Comedian.
Since it was unveiled, the artwork has invited debate and even, at times, consumption: viewers, including other artists, have occasionally plucked the fruit being used at the time off the wall and eaten it.
Artist Maurizio Cattelan.
Sun plans to join the ranks of those who have consumed Comedian, saying in a statement that “in the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honouring its place in both art history and popular culture”.
Consuming the banana, however, doesn’t spell the end of the artwork. On people eating his creation, Cattelan said: “I am flattered to some extent. The action reminds me of the Eucharistic or even cannibalistic rituals where people consume the body and blood of their saviour or enemy, as if by ingesting it, they could gain some of their power.