A piece of conceptual art consisting of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, sold for $6.2 million at an auction¹ in New York on Wednesday, with the winning bid coming from a prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

Comedian², by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a phenomenon³ when it debuted⁴ in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach, as festival-goers tried to make out whether the single yellow piece of fruit affixed⁵ to a white wall with silver duct tape was a joke or cheeky commentary on questionable⁶ standards among art collectors. At one point, another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it.

The piece attracted heavy attention at the busy auction at Sotheby's, with attendees in the crowded room holding up phones to take photos as two handlers wearing white gloves stood at both sides of the banana.



Bidding started at $800,000 and within minutes shot up to $2 million, then $3 million, then $4 million, and higher, as the auctioneer, Oliver Barker, joked "Don't let it slip away."

"Don't miss this opportunity," Barker said. "These are words I've never thought I'd say: Five million dollars for a banana."

The final hammer price announced in the room was $5.2 million, which didn't include the about $1 million in auction house fees, paid by the buyer.