Banana glued to the wall cost 6 million euros. The new owner said he’s going to eat her

The most expensive banana in the world is a work of art called “Comedian” and has already been eaten twice. Now, it has been purchased by a cryptocurrency entrepreneur for 5.9 million euros.

The work “” (translated, “Comedian”), by the Italian Maurizio Cattelanwhich consists of a banana attached to a wall with tape, was sold at auction in New York for 6.2 million dollars (5.9 million euros) to a cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

According to international agencies, the buyer was the founder of the TRON cryptocurrency, Justin Sunwhich acquired a certificate of authenticity which allows him to stick a banana on the wall and call it “Comedian”.

Bidding started at $800,000 and, within minutes, soared to two million dollars, then three, four and more, leading the host, Oliver Barkersaying “don’t let her escape”.

“Don’t miss this opportunity. These are words I never thought I would say: five million dollars for a banana”, he stated. The final bid value was 5.2 million dollars, plus around one million in commissions and fees, according to the Associated Press (AP).

In a statement, also cited by AP, the buyer said that this piece “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes and the cryptocurrency community.”

“In the next few days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring his legacy in art history and popular culture,” said Sun.

According to auctioneer Sotheby’s, this was the first auction of the provocative and famous work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, presented for the first time in 2019 at the Art Basel fair, in Miami, us United States.

Since it was shown for the first time in 2019 in the context of a fair, and sold for around 120,000 dollars, “Comedian” has become a global event that had a huge impact “on contemporary cultural consciousness”the auction house said in a statement.

Simultaneously ridiculed and praised, the work led to a reflection, among art critics, artists and the public, on the value of contemporary art, but it was also eaten – the banana –, at least on two occasions.

In 2023, it was, Noh Huyn-soowho said he was “hungry”, after “not having breakfast”. To reporters, Noh Huyn-soo later said he saw Cattelan’s work as a “rebellion against authority.”

“There may be another rebellion against rebellion. Damaging a work of art can also be seen as a work of art”, explained the South Korean student.

In 2019, when the “Comedian” art exhibition was presented to the public for the first time in Miami, the American artist opened the opening ceremony. The piece ended up selling for around 120 thousand euros.

“Comedian” was Maurizio Cattelan’s first work to appear at an art fair in more than 15 years.

Born in Padua in 1960, Cattelan lives and works in New York, having achieved notoriety with “The Ninth Hour”, a wax statue of Pope John Paul II struck by a meteorite, exhibited in 1999 at the Kunsthalle Basel.

Among other notable works, Catellan replaced, in 2016, a toilet at the Guggenheim museum with one, available to the public.