Someone just paid $9.6m to stick a banana to a wall

Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian – or as it is better known, the banana duct-taped to a wall – has sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $US6.24 million ($9.57 million), beating early estimates by more than six times. The winning bid came from a prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

The work was created in 2019 and exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach, where it sold for $US120,000. Since then, Comedian has been shown around the world, including at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2023.

A National Gallery of Victoria art handler with Comedian.Credit: Eugene Hyland

Given the simplicity of the concept – a normal banana stuck to a wall with silver duct tape – the pricetag might seem remarkable. Making an identical version of the work wouldn’t be difficult (or expensive).

Speaking to this masthead last year, Cattelan was asked how he prevents imitations. “Why would I?” he said.

Bidding started at $US800,000 and rapidly shot up. For Justin Sun, the winning bidder in the Sotheby’s auction in New York and founder of cryptocurrency platform Tron, the multimillion-dollar outlay has bought a certificate of authenticity which authorises the owner to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it Comedian.

Since it was unveiled, the artwork has invited debate and even, at times, consumption: viewers, including other artists, have occasionally plucked the fruit being used at the time off the wall and eaten it.

Artist Maurizio Cattelan.

Sun plans to join the ranks of those who have consumed Comedian, saying in a statement that “in the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honouring its place in both art history and popular culture”.

Consuming the banana, however, doesn’t spell the end of the artwork. On people eating his creation, Cattelan said: “I am flattered to some extent. The action reminds me of the Eucharistic or even cannibalistic rituals where people consume the body and blood of their saviour or enemy, as if by ingesting it, they could gain some of their power.

“There is a certain allure to the concept of ‘eating’ someone’s work as if it could somehow release the creative force that inspired it.”

Asked how often the banana at the heart of the creation is replaced, the artist said: “Let’s just say ‘when it’s ripe enough’ is the general rule.”

Cattelan is no stranger to unusual responses to his work. Four men have been charged with the 2019 theft of his piece America, a functioning toilet made of solid gold. The work was stolen from Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Its fate remains unknown.

Of the response to Comedian overall, Cattelan said last year: “I had high hopes, but reality exceeded my expectations. The unforeseen controversy and popularity surrounding Comedian became an integral part of the artwork’s narrative, emphasising the notable role spectators play in shaping it.”

With AP

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