- Justin Sun buys Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped banana artwork for $6.2 million.
- Sun calls it a “cultural phenomenon” connecting art, memes, and crypto.
- The infamous banana comes with duct tape, a manual, and a certificate of authenticity.
- Sun’s promise to eat the banana ensures its place in quirky art history.
In what might be one of the most absurd yet headline-grabbing moments of the year, Tron founder Justin Sun has spent $6.2 million on a banana duct-taped to a wall. The artwork, titled Comedian by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was auctioned at Sotheby’s New York and has sparked both intrigue and bewilderment.
And in a move that only Justin Sun could pull off, he’s promised to eat it.
A Banana That Costs as Much as a Penthouse
https://twitter.com/YahooNews/status/1859643355837223411
“This is not just an artwork,” Sun declared on X (formerly Twitter). “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges art, memes, and the crypto community.” Whether you see it as high art or high comedy, there’s no denying that Sun’s latest purchase is making waves.
The bidding war for the banana began at $800,000 and escalated rapidly, with Sotheby’s auctioneer Oliver Barker peppering the event with puns like “don’t let it slip away.” Six bidders competed for the artwork, but Sun emerged victorious with a $5.2 million bid, plus $1 million in auction fees. Yes, even the duct tape comes with a premium.
https://twitter.com/RoundtableSpace/status/1860094993743958338
What did Sun actually pay for? A banana, a roll of duct tape, a manual on how to replace the banana when it rots, and a certificate of authenticity — because, apparently, counterfeit bananas are a concern.
Not the Banana’s First Rodeo
This isn’t the first time Comedian has stirred the pot. The artwork debuted at Art Basel Miami in 2019, selling for $120,000 and immediately igniting debates about what qualifies as art. It even inspired performance artists to eat the banana in public stunts, leading to viral moments and countless parodies.
Fast forward to 2024, and Sun has taken this quirky art piece to a whole new level. His promise to eat the banana is sure to etch this moment into the annals of bizarre art history.
A New “Cultural Phenomenon”?
For Sun, this isn’t just about the banana. It’s a statement — albeit a strange one — about the intersection of art, memes, and the ever-evolving crypto world. By purchasing Comedian, Sun continues his pattern of headline-grabbing moves that mix cryptocurrency culture with traditional institutions.
But whether this banana is worth $6.2 million is another question entirely. As Sun prepares to turn his pricey purchase into a snack, the world can only watch, scratch its head, and perhaps laugh along.
After all, in art, as in life, beauty (and apparently value) is in the eye of the beholder — or in this case, the eater.