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Justin Sun, founder of the Tron blockchain and cryptocurrency, purchased Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial artwork “Comedian” for $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction on Wednesday. The artwork, featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, previously sold for between $120,000 and $150,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019.
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About the piece: Cattelan, who created the piece as a commentary on the art world, has stated that the work is “a sincere commentary and a reflection on what we value.” The banana is regularly replaced by the owner as it decays, and Sun will receive a 14-page manual with instructions on how to display the artwork. “Comedian” sparked debate about the definition of art and the value placed on it, drawing comparisons to works by Marcel Duchamp and Damien Hirst. Sun’s purchase adds another layer to the artwork’s evolving narrative, which includes previous instances of the banana being eaten.
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Bound for space: Sun, who purchased a $20 million Picasso painting in 2021, outbid six other contenders for the duct-taped banana, exceeding the pre-bidding estimate of $1.5 million. While he said he intends to “complete the decentralized cycle of this artwork” by eating the artpiece, he also expressed interest in donating “Comedian” to Elon Musk. “I’m willing to donate my banana to Elon Musk, tape it to the body of a SpaceX rocket, and send it to both Mars and the Moon,” he wrote on an X post.
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