Fruit Vendor Learns His 35-Cent Banana Sold as Artwork for $6.2 Million

Shah Alam, a 74-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, reacts emotionally after discovering the fate of a banana he sold, which became part of Maurizio Cattelan's conceptual art piece.

• Shah Alam, a fruit seller in New York, unknowingly sold a banana for 35 cents that became part of Maurizio Cattelan's artwork, 'Comedian,' auctioned for $6.2 million.
• The artwork, consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall, was purchased by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who plans to eat it as part of a performance on November 29.
• Alam, who works long shifts for $12 an hour, expressed disbelief and sorrow upon learning the banana's fate, questioning the priorities of those involved in the art's sale.
• Cattelan described Alam's reaction as moving but emphasized that art, by nature, does not solve social or economic issues.
• The sale has reignited debates about the value and absurdity of conceptual art, with Sun calling the piece a cultural phenomenon bridging art, memes, and cryptocurrency.

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