Andy Warhol he is said to have once said that when it comes to art, “Let everyone else decide whether it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they're deciding, they do more.”
A work of art called “The Comedian” has had people “judging” (sometimes angrily) ever since. debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2019. The “comedian” is just a banana attached to the wall by a piece of silver duct tape placed 160 centimeters above the floor.
Related: Someone ate that banana art exhibit again, this time while in a museum
The piece has been “passionately debated, rhapsodically revered and bitterly contested – and eaten not just once, but twice,” Sotheby's said. writes on her page.
It was estimated to sell for $1.5 million, but artist Maurizio Cattelan managed to squeeze out a few extra bucks. Chinese collector and founder of TRON cryptocurrency platform Justin Sun placed the winning bid for banana for $6.24 million on Wednesday.
Commenting on his new acquisition, Sun told Sotheby's, “When I first heard about this work in 2019, I thought it was pure genius. And when I heard it was on the market again, I knew I had to have it that. Cattelan's (humor) and sense of adventure strike a chord with me and I'm thrilled to now be its proud owner.”
In a video announcing the auction, Lucius Elliot, head of contemporary marquee sales at Sotheby's, says that after the piece went viral, the debate began “whether this is art, if it's a joke” or if it's a symbol that emphasizes “excess”. of the art market”.
said Sotheby's NBC that Cattelan “single-handedly pushed the world to reconsider the way we define art and the value we seek in it.”
Because Warhol also once said, “Art is anything you can get away with.”