Duct-taped banana goes for $6.2 million in Sotheby's art auction

A portion of creation that is small much than a banana duct-taped to a partition sold astatine auction for $6.2 cardinal connected Wednesday to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, Sotheby's said, furthering the cosmopolitan speech astir what constitutes art.

"Comedian," by Italian creator Maurizio Cattelan, archetypal rocked the creation satellite upon its debut astatine Miami's Art Basel successful 2019, drafting specified ample crowds that the grounds had to beryllium taken down for nationalist information and to support different works connected display.

At Sotheby's successful New York connected Wednesday, it went from a starting terms of $800,000 to $5.2 cardinal erstwhile the hammer fell astir 5 minutes later, positive a buyer's premium, oregon fee.

Bidding soared past the pre-sale precocious estimation of $1.5 million, Sotheby's said, with bidders successful the room, connected the telephone and online.

Sun, the Chinese collector and laminitis of the cryptocurrency Tron, placed the winning bid implicit the phone. He paid successful crypto and it volition beryllium the buyer's work to regenerate the banana arsenic it rots, according to Artnet.com.

"This is not conscionable an artwork," Sun said successful a connection to Sotheby's. "It represents a taste improvement that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. I judge this portion volition animate much thought and treatment successful the aboriginal and volition go a portion of history."

Sun said helium would devour the banana, arsenic astatine slightest 2 spectators person done successful different galleries connected the piece's travel astir the world.

Cattelan is known for different bold works specified arsenic a aureate toilet and a sculpture of the pope struck down by a meteorite.

Art experts said successful a Sotheby's video astir the enactment that it was funny, absurd and a awesome of the excess of the creation market, likening it to the Banksy enactment "Girl with Balloon" that shredded itself during a Sotheby's auction successful London successful 2018.