Comedianthe banana stuck to the wall that divided the art world in 2019, and presented by the conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan at the fair Miami Art Baselwas auctioned this Wednesday, November 21. The piece was acquired by 6.2 million dollars (which is equivalent to 5.8 million euros) in the house Sotheby’s New York.
The buyer, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur named Justin Sunyou will receive, along with the piece of fruit and the adhesive tape that holds it to the wall, a certificate of authenticity of the banana. The fruit It must be replaced, more or less, every seven days (according to the recommendations of the artist himself and the auction house).
Contrary to what is usual – that buyers of great works are anonymous – Justin Sun has identified himself and expressed himself like this: “This It is not just a work of art; represents a cultural phenomenon a bridge between the worlds of art, memes and the crypto community,” he wrote in a statement distributed by Sotheby’s.
“In addition, in the coming days I will personally eat the banana as part of that unique artistic experience, thus honoring its place in the history of art and popular culture,” he announced in conclusion. With the auction, Sotheby’s reopens the great controversy generated by Cattelan and his curious work in 2019 and, therefore, one of the great debates that exist in the artistic world: What is art and what is not?
The most expensive banana in the world
In a fierce bidding, in which the million and a half dollars that Sotheby’s had estimated for the work was immediately exceeded, the auctioneer defined Cattelan’s piece as “the most expensive banana in the world”. This Wednesday, Comedian It far exceeded the prices raised by three original editions of the work at the Art Basel fair in Miami, all selling in a range of between $108,000 and $137,000.
The “public” presentation of the fruit led to a week of madness in 2019, in which the public gathered every day in front of the work to take photographs, and which culminated with the artist David Datuna eating the banana as a performance.
Comedian went viral on social networksleading to multiple memes and the marketing of caps and t-shirts that had the banana in their prints. In addition, he served as an inspiration for other artists such as Sebastian Errazurizwho put a dildo attached to the wall with duct tape for sale for $12,000.
What is art and what is not?
The fame of Comedian –which was exhibited at the prestigious Guggenheim museum in New York–, with its sale at an exorbitant price, once again puts the focus on one of the great questions of the art world that experts have not yet been able to agree on: What is art and what is not?
Many wonder what the Italian artist wants to express with this banana: “For me, Comedian It wasn’t a joke but rather a sincere comment and reflection on what we value. At art fairs, speed and business reign, so I could sell a banana like others sell their paintings. I could play within the system, but with my rules,” says Cattelan in a quote collected by Sotheby’s.
Some experts have interpreted the banana as a “transgressive” act that directly mocks the one who, with so much wealth he possesses, can spend six million dollars on a piece of fruit: “Comedian “It is a comment, not particularly subtle but very powerful, on richness and transience, but also, perhaps, on the ephemerality of art,” he indicates in his book Another history of art the writer Miguel Ángel Cajigal Vera, “The Barroquist”.
The author also points out the cultural references that make the banana a work of art, such as the fact that it is a banana – which, in colloquial English, “symbolizes madness” – or the paradox of the piece: “Whoever buys it “You know it will be gone soon and the value of your money will have evaporated.” Perhaps it is the latter that will be in focus after the auction: the ephemeral value of moneywhich can disappear as quickly as a banana rots on a wall.
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