World's Most Expensive Banana

Maurizio Cattelan’s work, "Comedian" which is actually a banana duct-taped to a wall, was snapped up on November 20, at Sotheby’s in New York, USA by Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun. It first rocked the art world in 2019 on its debut at Miami’s Art Basel.

 

The Italian visual artist said the work was a “provocation” and an invitation to appreciate the true value of art. The piece of art, whose first version was made with a banana that cost just 35 cents, went from a starting price of $800,000 to $5.2 million, plus a buyer’s fee.

 

“Comedian is a laugh against a tired system, an invitation to rediscover the power of irony and simplicity”, Cattelan claimed.

 

“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”, the artist added.

 

Cattelan (left) is known for his hyper-realistic installations and sculptures, which include a fake horse dangling from a ceiling, the late pope John Paul II being hit by a meteorite and a marble hand with a raised middle finger outside Milan’s Stock Exchange.

 

And for his millions, the buyer will receive the banana, a roll of duct tape and instructions on how precisely to install the work, including information on how to replace the fruit (the mind boggles, given the ubiquity of bananas). The really important item, however, is the certificate of authenticity that will accompany these items, for herein lies Comedian’s – fingers crossed, eh? – ongoing value. We’re all free to tape fruit to our walls should the fancy take us, but only someone with the right paperwork is allowed to claim such an installation emanated from the audacious mind of Cattelan. 

 

Still, selling a piece of fruit for that much money isn’t bananas, it’s decadent! I thought art is better than this but sadly, it isn't!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celtic overcame a shaky first-half display to defeat Hearts 4-1 yesterday and move three points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

 

The Scottish champions made the breakthrough in the 55th minute when Kyogo Furuhashi slotted home a rebound from close range. Five minutes later, Nicolas Kuhn who played a one-two with Daizen Maeda, smashed the ball into the roof of the net. Adam Idah put the outcome beyond doubt in the 78th minute when he struck from 12 yards out after being played in by fellow sub Paulo Bernardo. 

 

The other side reduced the deficit to two with a superb long-range strike, but Celtic sealed victory in the 93rd minute, as Idah converted from the spot after James Forrest had been fouled in the box.