Maurizio Cattelan's banana sold for $6.2 million

It was at the American Art fair Art Basel Miami Beach that the work Comedian appeared for the first time. Sold at the time for $120,000, this banana stuck to the wall of the Italian Maurizio Cattelan did not fail to arouse ridicule and controversy. This November 20, it sold for 6.2 million dollars (5.7 million euros) in New York, reports The New York Times, who says, not without irony: “Who’s laughing now?”

Because the work of the 64-year-old contemporary art superstar is “certainly now the most expensive fruit in the world – even if it will probably go in the trash in a few days”, estimates the American daily.

Bridges between art and memes

It was during an auction organized by Sotheby's that the original work was acquired by Justin Sun, a Chinese entrepreneur specializing in cryptocurrency, who participated online. He issued a press release “where he said that Cattelan's work is a true cultural phenomenon that creates bridges between the worlds of art, memes and the cryptocurrency community”, reports the daily.

This work, conceived by Maurizio Cattelan as a satirical critique of speculation in the art market, will now be in the home of this young entrepreneur, who will receive it delivered with its tape and instructions for properly installing it. He has already planned to eat the banana “to honor its place in art history and popular culture.”