To Sale or Not To Sale

When Comedian first debuted at Miami Art Basel in 2019, Maurizio Cattelan's duct-taped banana became an immediate viral sensation, with three editions selling for $120,000–150,000 each. Was it clever, playful, and layered with commentary? It didn’t matter. It was a success. Now, this infamous piece has returned to the spotlight. Weeks ago, it was sold to crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun at a Sotheby’s auction for $6.2 million—a 4,000% increase. Sun framed the purchase as a symbol bridging art, internet memes, and cryptocurrency culture. The irony? This year’s banana was purchased fresh for 35 cents at an Upper East Side fruit stand the night of.