An extraordinary event has shaken the world of art and cryptocurrencies: Justin Sun, founder of the Tron platform, has paid $6.2 million for a conceptual work that has attracted global attention. The work in question is Comedian, a banana taped to a wall, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan in 2019. The auction, held by Sotheby’s, saw the participation of six bidders. Sun attended the auction from Hong Kong and paid in cryptocurrency. Immediately after purchasing, he announced his intention to eat the banana, underlining the work’s importance in both art history and pop culture.
The banana had been purchased a few hours before the auction for just 35 cents from an Upper East Side seller. The need to regularly replace the work is part of Cattelan’s original project, conceived as a satire on the speculations of the art market. The artist questioned what gives value to an object in the artistic context. Cattelan had previously described the auction as the pinnacle of Comedian’s career, expressing curiosity about the reaction to the purchase.
The work Comedian debuted at Art Basel Miami, where three editions were sold: two for 120 thousand dollars and one for 150 thousand dollars. During the event, the artist David Datuna ate one of the bananas on display, forcing the Perrotin gallery to close its booth prematurely. Another banana was consumed last year by a South Korean art student at a museum in Seoul. Sun stressed that Comedian is not just a work of art but a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes and cryptocurrencies. Before the auction, the banana had already attracted attention when Sotheby’s executive Michael Bouhanna anonymously launched a cryptocurrency inspired by the work, called $Ban. However, Bouhanna has been accused of exploiting confidential information for personal gain. Despite the controversy, Sun remains convinced of the work’s potential and its ability to stimulate future discussions in the contemporary art scene. With this bold purchase, the line between art and technology continues to blur. The story of Comedian does not end here; it is destined to generate new conversations and interpretations for time to come.
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