A banana taped to a wall has become one of the most expensive works of art ever sold. Justin Sun, a well-known cryptocurrency investor, bought it at Sotheby’s auction house in New York for $6.2 million.
“I am the proud owner of the banana,” Sun announced on the X Network (formerly Twitter), adding that he plans to eat it in the coming days “as part of the artistic experience,” reports The Independent.
The artwork created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is actually extremely simple: an ordinary banana taped exactly 160 centimeters above the floor. The auction house had estimated it would sell for a maximum of $1.5 million, but the price skyrocketed during the auction.
$6.2 million for a banana
“I never thought I’d ever say these words: five million for a banana,” Sotheby’s auctioneer Oliver Barker joked during the event.
For the $6.2 million, Sun will receive a banana, a roll of duct tape, a certificate of authenticity and instructions on how to install the work and replace the banana when it breaks.
“This is not just a work of art, but a cultural phenomenon that connects the world of art with that of memes and cryptocurrencies,” explains Sun. “I’m sure it will cause a lot of discussion and go down in history.”
This is not the first time that this work has made waves. In 2019, at Art Basel Miami, where the first versions sold for $120,000 and $150,000, an artist bit into a banana right during the exhibition.
Source: www.descopera.ro
