Sotheby’s sells Cattelan’s banana taped to wall for $USD 6.2 million

Published 1 month ago

An art collector has paid $USD 6.2 million for ‘Comedian’ and Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s work featuring a fresh banana taped to a wall at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.

A woman admires the work of Maurizio Cattelan. (Photo: ANSA)

The piece debuted at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach in 2019.

There, it sparked an uproar after an artist who was part of the performance, David Datuna, detached the banana from the display and ate it in front of stunned visitors.

The banana had been bought at a local supermarket.

The artwork in 2019 was sold for $USD 120,000.

Sotheby’s had estimated the value of ‘Comedian’ between $USD 1-1.5 million.

The collector who bought the artwork at the New York auction late on Wednesday will receive a strip of silver duct tape, the banana, a certificate of authenticity and instructions for its installation.

ANSA

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