Duct-taped banana goes for $6.2 million in Sotheby’s art auction

By Daniel Trotta

A piece of art that is little more than a banana duct-taped to a wall sold at auction for $6.2 million on Wednesday to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, Sotheby’s said, furthering the universal conversation about what constitutes art.

“Comedian,” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, first rocked the art world upon its debut at Miami’s Art Basel in 2019, drawing such large crowds that the exhibit had to be taken down for public safety and to protect other works on display.

At Sotheby’s in New York on Wednesday, it went from a starting price of $800,000 to $5.2 million when the hammer fell about five minutes later, plus a buyer’s premium, or fee.

Bidding soared past the pre-sale high estimate of $1.5 million, Sotheby’s said, with bidders in the room, on the phone and online.

Sun, the Chinese collector and founder of the cryptocurrency Tron, placed the winning