A $6.2 Million Banana: Cattelan's 'Comedian' Goes Bananas Again

Five years after a banana duct-taped to a wall caused chaos at Art Basel Miami Beach, Maurizio Cattelan's 'Comedian' returned to make headlines all over again. In November 2024 it sold at Sotheby's New York for a staggering $6.2 million — far above its $1.5 million estimate.

The buyer was crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, who beat six rival bidders and paid in cryptocurrency. What he actually bought was not the fruit but a certificate of authenticity and instructions to re-tape a fresh banana when the old one rots.

Days later, Sun ate it at a Hong Kong press conference, declaring it 'much better than other bananas.' Whether you see genius satire or the emperor's new fruit, 'Comedian' had once again held up a mirror to the absurdities of the art market — and the market couldn't look away.

Image: “Banana duct taped to fridge as a reminder to eat less meat” — Jane023 (talk) 12:28, 24 December 2019 (UTC), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.