After six minutes of heated bidding, Justin Sun is the proud owner of a banana — and $6.2 million lighter.
The founder of the Tron blockchain purchased Maurizio Cattelan’s work, a banana duct-taped to a wall, during Sotheby’s latest auction on Wednesday.
What’s next?
Sun says he’s going to eat it.
“In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience,” the crypto entrepreneur wrote on X.
He did not immediately respond to DL News’ request for comment.
As inane as a memecoin, Cattelan’s Comedian consists of a yellow banana clumsily taped to a wall.
When rotted —- or, in this case, eaten — the Italian visual artist says you can just replace the banana with another.
After over 6 minutes of heated bidding, Deputy Chairman of Sotheby's and Chairman of Sotheby's China, Jen Hua, placed the winning bid for ‘Comedian’ on behalf of @justinsuntron, Chinese collector and founder of cryptocurrency platform TRON. https://t.co/Vf6kMoHfOQ
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) November 21, 2024
Sun wouldn’t be the first to take a bite.
Georgian performance artist David Datuna (who spun up a non-fungible token collection of various fruits) ate a banana at the work’s inauguration in 2019 at Art Basel in Miami.
Back then, though, the edible artwork was worth $120,000.
Sun takes bite out of crypto art
Sun, the pugnacious and ultra-wealthy crypto founder, has made a name for himself with splashy announcements.
Besides co-founding the Tron blockchain network via a $70 million initial coin offering in 2017, Sun owns BitTorrent and the crypto exchange Poloniex.
In 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission charged him and his companies with fraud and securities violations. Sun has rejected the SEC claims.
Liberland, a small slice of land between Croatia and Serbia, Elected Sun as its new prime minister.
“Just as Vatican City represents a central spiritual authority for Catholics, Liberland will be the heart of the libertarian movement,” Sun told DL News after the results were announced.
Members of the crypto art world are unfazed.
When asked whether this would bring more attention to the niche, Stina Gustafson, a curator and art strategist specialising in crypto art, said it seemed more like a stunt.
“It all feels a little bit too gimmicky — especially if he really plans to eat it,” she told DL News. “It feels more like a stunt rather than a real interest.
Liam Kelly is DL News Berlin-based DeFi Correspondent. Got a tip? Email at liam@dlnews.com.
