A banana taped to the wall was sold at Sotheby's for $6.2 million: the installation was called a "cultural phenomenon." Photo

A banana taped to a wall was sold at Sotheby's for $6.2 million. The installation by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was called a "cultural phenomenon".

Sotheby's expected to sell the original installation for $1.5 million. However, Chinese crypto-entrepreneur and art collector Justin Sun offered a record amount and outbid six competitors in 5 minutes of rapid bidding, The New York Times reports.

Justin Sun called the installation "a cultural phenomenon that connects the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community." The collector admitted that he would soon eat a banana "as part of this unique artistic experience, paying homage to its place in both art history and popular culture."

Interestingly, the banana installation is provided to the buyer with a certificate of authenticity and instructions for replacing the banana when it rots. This is in case the owner doesn't want to eat the fruit right away, but wants to enjoy this work of art for a longer time.

An installation in the form of a banana glued to a white wall with silver tape at a height of 160 centimeters from the floor was first shown by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan in December 2019 at the international exhibition of contemporary art Art Basel in Miami. He called this work "Comedian".

After the installation was exhibited, the Perrotin Gallery sold three of Cattelan's bananas for between $120,000 and $150,000 each. Another banana exhibited in the gallery was eaten by another artist, David Datuna.

According to experts, the banana has become a star in the art world, as well as the most expensive fruit in the world.

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