6.2 million dollars – for a banana(?)
Published: Thursday, Nov 21st 2024, 04:10
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In New York, someone bought a banana and adhesive tape for 6.2 million dollars. The equivalent of almost 5.9 million euros is less a reflection of the astronomical prices in the cosmopolitan city than proof of the success of a provocative idea by conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan. His work entitled "Comedian" was auctioned off for the enormous sum - many times the expected amount - at Sotheby's auction house, as announced on the X platform.
Cattelan, who is known for his often bizarre sculptures, originally presented the banana installation at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019 and set a price of 120,000 dollars. The American performance artist David Datuna then tore the banana off the wall and ate it. A few years later, there was a similar incident in a museum in South Korea, where an art student took the fruit off the wall, peeled it, ate it and then stuck the peel back on the wall.
Cattelan did not mind, it was said. According to his instructions, the ripe banana on the wall should be replaced every two or three days. The buyer, a Chinese crypto-entrepreneur named Justin Sun, therefore acquired Cattelan's idea with a certificate rather than the banana and the tape itself.
Do we have to get upset about art again?
When Cattelan presented "Comedian" for the first time, it caused an unexpected sensation. The banana 160 centimeters above the floor on the wall was the star of Art Basel. Some were incredulous, others fascinated, still others outraged: it wasn't art. Or was it? Critics say that every great work of art also attracts anger. This lies in the power of an object that pushes the boundaries of what we consider normal.
However, many viewers also emphasized how absurd and humorous "Comedian" is. The artist himself saw it a little differently in an interview a few years ago: "For me, Comedian was not a joke; it was a sincere commentary and a reflection on what we value. Art fairs are about speed and business, so I saw it like this: if I had to be at a fair, I could sell a banana like others sell their paintings. I could play within the system, but with my rules," said Cattelan.
In a video produced by Sotheby's, it says: "This is a work that draws its power from the question of how we value art. And there is no better forum to assess the value of art and an individual object than the platform of an auction."
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