Banana duct-taped to wall fetches $120,000 at art show — and another is expected to sell for $150,000

A banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $120,000 at a Miami art show this week, CBS News reported.

In fact, the network said two of the three editions have been sold, and the last one is expected to fetch $150,000, the contemporary art gallery — Perrotin — behind the work told the network.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

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The controversial piece, called "The Comedian," was created by Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian artist who had also entertained art lovers from around the globe in 2017 with his "America" 18-carat-gold toilet. However, the $6-million throne was stolen from England's Blenheim Palace over the summer.

Emmanuel Perrotin, the gallery founder, told CBS News that Maurizio's work is not just about objects, but about how objects move through the world.

"Whether affixed to the wall of an art fair booth or displayed on the cover of the New York Post, his work forces us to question how value is placed on material goods," Perrotin told the network, adding that "the spectacle is as much a part of the work as the banana."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

How did the artist come up with the idea?

Perrotin told CBS News that Cattelan came up with the idea a year ago while "thinking of a sculpture that was shaped like a banana" and that "every time he traveled, he brought a banana with him and hung it in his hotel room to find inspiration. He made several models: first in resin, then in bronze and in painted bronze [before] finally coming back to the initial idea of a real banana."

The network said the artist gave no clear instructions regarding banana decomposition — but, according to the Miami Herald, the banana can replaced as needed.

Banana Duct Taped To Wall Selling For $120K At Art Baselyoutu.be