Duct-Taped Banana Artwork Sells for $6.2 Million at Sotheby’s

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s conceptual piece ‘Comedian’ continues to provoke debate over the nature and value of art.

The artwork, titled 'Comedian,' consists of a single banana duct-taped to a wall and was sold to Chinese crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun for $6.2 million at Sotheby’s in New York.
Originally created in 2019 by Maurizio Cattelan, the piece gained fame for its absurd simplicity and critique of modern art and consumerism.
The sale included a certificate of authenticity and instructions for replacing the banana, as the fruit itself is perishable and regularly swapped out.
Critics and commentators have highlighted the sale as emblematic of the excesses of the art world, with some calling it profound satire and others labeling it as decadent and frivolous.
The artwork has sparked global attention since its debut, including instances where performance artists have eaten the banana, reinforcing the idea that its value lies in the concept rather than the physical object.