Viral banana artwork duct-taped to wall sells for $6.2M

The debate about whether Maurizio Cattelan’s banana duct-taped to a wall installation qualifies as art may be ongoing. But that hasn't stopped it from selling for millions of dollars at a Sotheby’s art auction in New York.

The winning bidder nabbed the Italian artist's conceptual artwork, titled "Comedian" and comprised simply of a banana fastened with duct tape to a wall, for a hefty $6.2 million on Wednesday, far surpassing the $120,000 it was sold for at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. 

Before the bidding kicked off, the artwork's value was estimated between $1 million to $1.5 million. It was the first time the artwork was offered at auction, according to Sotheby's. 

The buyer receives a roll of duct tape and one banana, as well as a certificate of authenticity and official instructions for installing the work, the auction house said.

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While the artwork is small, measuring 20 cm by 20 cm by 5 cm, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art for the Americas, David Galperin, described it as "the most influential and radical artworks of the last century." 

Galperin said that "Cattelan rocked the foundations of the art world, and brought art to the center of mainstream popular culture."

In 2019, when Cattelan's "Comedian" debuted in Miami, it was met with confusion and in some cases, amusement. But the piece gained global attention following its $120,000 price tag at Art Basel. A social media debate quickly ensued about the nature and value of art. 

In December 2019, when Comedian’s installation at Perrotin’s booth was unveiled, Sotheby's said the crowds were so overwhelming that the artwork had to be de-installed before the end of the fair. All three editions of the artwork were sold. 

Two people at different art installations also reportedly ripped it off the wall and ate it. 

"Widely venerated, and hotly contested – and eaten not only once, but twice – the work headlined news stories shared around the world," Sotheby's wrote. 

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Sotheby's said Cattelan's Comedian "single handedly prompted the world to reconsider how we define art."

"We may be in on Cattelan’s joke, but Comedian is anything but," Sotheby's wrote. 

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The Perrotin Gallery described the Italian artist as one of the "most popular" and "controversial artists on the contemporary art scene." 

The gallery said he has a "playful and provocative use of materials, objects, and gestures set in challenging contexts forces commentary and engagement." 

Galperin told The Associated Press that the winning bidder won't buy the banana itself, but rather the certificate of authenticity, giving them permission and authority to reproduce the banana and duct tape on their wall as an original artwork by Cattelan.