The banana work has been a major topic of discussion in the art world since Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan presented the work at the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair five years ago.
On November 20, the conceptual artwork, called "Comedian", will be sold by Sotheby's in New York and is expected to be worth between 1 and 1.5 million dollars, equivalent to 11 and 16 million kronor.
And the banana can be replaced.
What you buy when you buy Cattelan's "Comedian" is not the banana itself, but a certificate of authenticity that gives the owner permission to reproduce this banana and the silver tape on the wall, as an authentic work of art by Maurizio Cattelan, says David Galperin, head of contemporary art at Sotheby's.
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Many see the work as a practical joke, or as a kind of satire over the art world. Galperin believes it is important.
All important or meaningful artworks over the past 100 or 200 years have been provocative or caused some form of discomfort when they were first shown, he says.
