The World's Most Expensive Banana

In a grocery store, it would cost about 35 cents, but after passing through the hands of conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, its value soared to $6.2 million (around €5.8 million), although it was initially estimated to sell for one and a half million dollars. The world's most expensive banana was auctioned this Wednesday at Sotheby's in New York and continues to stir controversy, just as it did when it was first presented in 2019 at the Art Basel fair in Miami. Known as 'Comedian', this artwork is nothing more than a banana taped to a wall. The new owner, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur named Justin Sun, told the auction house that "this is not just a piece of art; it represents a cultural phenomenon, a bridge between the worlds of art, memes, and the crypto community." He also confessed that he would eat the banana as part of the artistic experience, to "honour the work."

The bidding for 'Comedian' was as peculiar as the artwork itself. In just a few minutes, it surpassed the one and a half million dollars that Sotheby's had estimated. In fact, on this occasion, it far exceeded the prices fetched by three original editions of the work at the Art Basel fair in Miami, all sold for amounts between $108,000 and $137,000.

The most curious aspect of the artwork is that it no longer exists, because after its presentation, the late Georgian artist David Datuna ate the banana in a performance he called Hungry Artist. The piece—the banana—was subsequently removed, and on the empty wall, another artist, Rodd Webber, wrote Epstein didn't kill himself. However, none of these acts were considered vandalism, but rather part of the installation itself. The work, as conceived by Cattelan, consists of the banana (or a similar food item) and adhesive tape to attach it to the wall. The buyer has received a roll of adhesive tape and a banana, which needs to be replaced approximately every seven days (according to recommendations from the artist and the auction house), as well as a certificate of authenticity, although the reality is that neither the tape nor the banana are the originals.

Ampliar

'Comedian' is much more than a piece of art. According to its creator, Maurizio Cattelan, it is an installation that functions as a device and aims to critique the art world in general. In fact, the auction house Sotheby's described the work as "a reflection on the contemporary art world, raising questions and provoking reflections on how value is attributed to works and what we define as art."

An auction that has once again raised the question of what is art and what is not, and has led many to wonder how it is possible for a banana taped to a wall to be valued at nearly €6 million.