Modern art famous for being eaten by visitors, Maurizio Cattelan's work "Comedian," which is a tape-attached banana to the wall, was sold for $6.2 million and 8.67 billion won in our money.
The winning bidder for the auction, which was held by Sotheby's in New York on the 20th local time, was identified as Justin Sun, a Chinese virtual currency entrepreneur who spent more than six times the expected $1 million.
Justin Sun will receive a certificate of authenticity and an official installation manual along with tape and bananas.
Sun said the work represents a cultural phenomenon that connects art, Internet trends, and virtual currency society, and that he will eat the banana like other previous visitors.
The tapered banana "Comedian" became famous when it was displayed in Miami in 2019, when it was removed and eaten by a performance artist, and when it was displayed at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul last year, a university student took it off and ate it.
The bananas in the auction are sold at a fruit stand in Manhattan for 35 cents, and the Bangladeshi vendor was unaware that the bananas he sold were sold for thousands of times the original price, the New York Times said.
'Comedian' was sold for $150,000 to $150,000 at the 2019 auction and 160 million to 220 million won in our money.
Cattelan is known for its satirical works that challenge popular culture.
Cattelan described his work "Comedian" back in 2021 as a serious commentary and reflection on what we consider valuable, not a joke.
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