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Crypto entrepreneur, Justin Sun, has made headlines on Friday after eating $6.2 million banana artwork he purchased a few days ago.
Tribune Online reports that the artwork, titled Comedian by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, famously features a banana duct-taped to a wall.
At a press event in a luxury Hong Kong hotel, Sun bit into the banana in front of journalists and influencers. His move followed a speech where he described the artwork as “iconic” and compared its disruptive nature to cryptocurrency.
He jokingly said, “It’s much better than other bananas. It’s really quite good.”
The piece was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York last week after attracting bids from seven participants. Sun, who expressed disbelief at securing the artwork, viewed his purchase as a chance to fuel cultural conversations.
Rather than preserve the banana, Sun said eating it was intentional, explaining, “Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork’s story.”
Cattelan’s Comedian has sparked debate since its debut at the 2019 Art Basel in Miami Beach, where it challenged traditional ideas of art and value. Designed to provoke, the piece has divided critics and audiences alike.
Originally crafted with a 25-cent banana, the artwork’s value soared from an initial $800,000 to $5.2 million, plus additional buyer’s fees.
Commenting on the art market’s reaction, Cattelan remarked, “It’s the market that has decided to take a banana stuck on the wall so seriously. If the system is so frail to slip on a banana skin, maybe it was already slippery.”
