Has he gone bananas? A banana, arranged by the artist Maurizio Cattelan, has sold for a huge sum. Some think the art world has gone crazy.
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Crypto boss buys a banana for £5m
Has he gone bananas? A banana, arranged by the artist Maurizio Cattelan, has sold for a huge sum. Some think the art world has gone crazy.
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It was an incredible moment at Sotheby's auctionWhen an item is sold to the person that bids the most money for it. Auctions can take place in person or online. house in New York. Comedian - an artwork made from a normal banana duct taped to a wall - had just sold for $5.2m (£3.96m), with fees bringing the total to £5m.
The buyer was cryptocurrencyA digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralised system using cryptography, rather than by a centralised authority. billionaire Justin Sun. He announced that he will eat the banana. If his bites are average sized, each might be worth $1m (£794,000).
Comedian was created by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. His other works include a toilet made out of gold and a sculpture of the PopeThe bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church. being hit by an asteroidA small body in space, made of metal and rock material. Asteroids usually orbit the sun, but if knocked off course they can be drawn into Earth's gravity and fall towards it. .
Sun has not just bought a banana and some tape. The main part of the sale is a certificate that gives him the right to recreate the artwork whenever he wants.
The sale of Comedian joins a long list of bizarre art sales. In 2014, Tracey Emin's My Bed - a bed the artist slept in while depressedDepression is low mood that affects someone's daily life, and can last for weeks or months. in the 1990s - sold for £2.5m.
In 2021, the NFTNon-fungible tokens are digital tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They can be bought and traded online. of a work by the digital artist Beeple sold for $69.3m (£54.8m).3
Some think Sun is a fool. A great painting like the Mona LisaAlso known as the Giaconda, a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It became one of the world's most famous paintings after a successful robbery in 1911. is valuable in part because of the skill used to create it. Comedian is a banana and some duct tape.
Yet others believe Comedian makes a bold point. Cattelan, they say, reveals how stupid the art market is. He shows us how we have forgotten the real value of things. This makes it a powerful work.
Has he gone bananas?
Yes! Sun may be very rich. But even for him, buying a banana for £5m is ridiculous. Like many viral moments, Comedian will soon be forgotten.
No: Art moves faster than society. The artists Claude MonetA French painter and co-founder of the Impressionist movement. From 1883, he largely painted his garden. and Vincent Van GoghA Dutch artist who painted The Starry Night in 1889 while staying in a French mental asylum after suffering a breakdown. He died by suicide the following year. were not understood at first, but now they are seen as greats. Comedian will enter the history books.
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Keywords
Auction - When an item is sold to the person that bids the most money for it. Auctions can take place in person or online.
Cryptocurrency - A digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralised system using cryptography, rather than by a centralised authority.
Pope - The bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church.
Asteroid - A small body in space, made of metal and rock material. Asteroids usually orbit the sun, but if knocked off course they can be drawn into Earth's gravity and fall towards it.
Depressed - Depression is low mood that affects someone's daily life, and can last for weeks or months.
NFT - Non-fungible tokens are digital tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They can be bought and traded online.
Mona Lisa - Also known as the Giaconda, a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It became one of the world's most famous paintings after a successful robbery in 1911.
Claude Monet - A French painter and co-founder of the Impressionist movement. From 1883, he largely painted his garden.
Vincent van Gogh - A Dutch artist who painted The Starry Night in 1889 while staying in a French mental asylum after suffering a breakdown. He died by suicide the following year.
Crypto boss buys a banana for £5m
Seriously?: The sale was the first time that “Comedian” (above) had appeared at auction, after first making a splash at Miami’s Art Basel fair in 2019 before travelling the world. The banana is one of an edition of three. Glossary
Auction - When an item is sold to the person that bids the most money for it. Auctions can take place in person or online.
Cryptocurrency - A digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralised system using cryptography, rather than by a centralised authority.
Pope - The bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church.
Asteroid - A small body in space, made of metal and rock material. Asteroids usually orbit the sun, but if knocked off course they can be drawn into Earth’s gravity and fall towards it.
Depressed - Depression is low mood that affects someone's daily life, and can last for weeks or months.
NFT - Non-fungible tokens are digital tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They can be bought and traded online.
Mona Lisa - Also known as the Giaconda, a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It became one of the world’s most famous paintings after a successful robbery in 1911.
Claude Monet - A French painter and co-founder of the Impressionist movement. From 1883, he largely painted his garden.
Vincent van Gogh - A Dutch artist who painted The Starry Night in 1889 while staying in a French mental asylum after suffering a breakdown. He died by suicide the following year.