I never thought I would say "five million for a banana", said the auctioneer at Sotheby's auction house in New York on Wednesday evening, local time.
The banana work has been a major topic of conversation in the art world since Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan presented it at the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair five years ago.
At Sotheby's, it went under the hammer for $5.2 million, reports The Guardian. Additionally, it costs an additional $1.2 million in fees to the auction house, resulting in a final sum of $6.4 million – over 70 million Swedish kronor.
Will eat it
It was far more than expected. The banana work was expected to go for between $1 and $1.5 million, but the auction, where bids in cryptocurrencies were accepted, quickly took off.
It was Justin Sun, founder of the cryptocurrency platform TRON, who is now the owner of the world's most expensive banana. In a statement, he says the work represents "a cultural phenomenon that bridges the art world, memes, and cryptocurrency communities".
"In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, to honor its place in both art history and popular culture", Sun continues.
Can be replaced
An expensive snack – but the banana can then be replaced with a new one.
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, has David Galperin, head of contemporary art at Sotheby's, previously said.
