In 2019, artist Maurizio Cattelan created “Comedian,” which consisted of a single banana duct taped to a wall. It first appeared at Art Basel Miami Beach, where Perrotin Gallery sold three editions of the piece for $120,000 to $150,000 each.
Last week, it sold at an auction for $6.2 million. Seven bidders competed for the work, which again consists of duct-taping a banana to a wall.
Cattelan says the work was conceived as a satirical jab at market speculation, asking the question, “On what basis does an object acquire value in the art system?”
Sure, but again, he duct-taped a piece of fruit to the wall.
The buyer will receive a single roll of duct tape, one banana sourced from a fruit stand on York Avenue, and a certificate of authenticity with specific instructions on displaying the work.
The sculpture’s winner was a Chinese crypto entrepreneur who said he would eat the banana.
All of this is either:
- A ridiculous, atrocious, disastrous signal of excess, greed, and stupidity.
- A brilliant boondoggle for an artist who understands publicity, the zeitgeist, and his industry.
- An entertaining, hilarious, cockamamie story.
I think all three.
