‘Not just an artwork’: Famous banana taped to a wall sells for Rs 50 crore

Someone just paid more than Rs 50 crore for an overripe yellow banana duct-taped to a wall.

That’s bananas, did you say? Well, not if the said banana (the actual exhibit keeps changing, obviously) is a celebrated piece of art that is intended to provoke “laughter and reflection”.

The artwork, titled Comedian, created by renowned Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, debuted at the Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. Since then, it has made news constantly, with people sneering at its absurdity and some even making headlines for taking it off the wall, peeling and eating it. Well, what else is a banana for, they sniggered.

Meet the buyer

But the Comedian has continued to make it way to galleries worldwide repeatedly. In the past, it has sold for $120,000 (more than Rs 1 crore). However, on Thursday (November 21), it sold for a staggering $6.2 million (Rs 52.35 crore) at a Sotheby’s auction. The buyer, Justin Sun, is a Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur — the founder of cryptocurrency TRON.

“I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve bought the banana!!!” Sun announced on X on Thursday, tagging Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Sotheby’s.

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More than “artwork”

“This is not just an artwork; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history. I am honored to be the proud owner of the banana and look forward to it sparking further inspiration and impact for art enthusiasts around the world,” he added.

“Additionally, in the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture. Stay tuned!” his post ended.

What’s the banana for?

Well, as far as eating the (absurdly expensive) banana is concerned, people have done it for free in the past. Performance artist David Datuna famously ate it in front of an audience at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, calling it a “spontaneous act of artistic expression”. That same year, in Seoul, a South Korean student did the same. Since no one tried to stop him, he felt that was its purpose after all.

But if “inspiring more thought and discussion” is Sun’s perception of the artwork concerned, it matches that of its creator, Cattelan, who is known for his provocative artworks. He has explained in the past that the essence of Comedian lies in its concept rather than its materials.

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“Not merely a joke”

He has been quoted as saying that Comedian is not merely a joke but a sincere commentary on society’s ideas of value and art. “I could sell a banana like others sell their paintings. I could play within the system, but with my rules,” he told The Art Newspaper in 2021.

According to him, the artwork is a playful critique of the art market’s eccentricities. The banana itself is a symbol, provoking both laughter and reflection on the absurdity of art pricing.

And well, Comedian seems to have totally lived up to his expectations in that regard. Originally priced between $120,000 and $150,000 (which seemed “absurd” anyway), it is now commanding $6.2 million.

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What people actually “buy”

At the Sotheby’s auction, the price started at $800,000. With prospective buyers frantically trying to bag the iconic banana, the bid rose to $5.2 million within minutes. With an additional $1 million in auction fees, the total came to $6.2 million. Sun, true to his business, chose to pay in cryptocurrency.

If you are wondering what will happen to the banana, well, it will rot, obviously. But that’s not what Sun — or any other previous buyer — has bought. They have essentially bought the intellectual rights to recreate it as a certified piece of art.

A certificate of authenticity from Cattelan grants Sun and other buyers the right to recreate the artwork, along with meticulous instructions on how to replace the banana as it rots. Yes, even the type and size of banana and the angle at which it has to be taped are specified. But its very conceptual idea—a statement about art’s intersection with consumerism—is what makes Comedian more than just a banana taped to a wall.