Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan used his unique creativity to stick a banana on the wall with tape to create three works of art called "Comedian". On the evening of the 20th, one of the works was sold at a Sotheby's auction in New York for an astonishing $5.2 million (equivalent to about RMB 37.64 million), which instantly triggered widespread heated discussions from all walks of life.
In this auction feast, bidders from telephones and the Internet were eager to bid, and the bidding process was fierce and fast. The starting price of (Comedian) was only 800,000 US dollars (equivalent to about 5.796 million yuan), but it soon exceeded the initial estimate of 1 million US dollars (equivalent to about 7.245 million yuan), and finally sold at a sky-high price of 5.2 million US dollars. After adding the handling fee, the total transaction price climbed to 6.24 million US dollars (equivalent to about 45.173 million yuan), which was jaw-dropping.
As the bidding price approached its high point, auctioneer Buck could not help but sigh: "I never thought I would say something like '$5 million for a banana.'" The banana on display at the auction was actually purchased earlier that day for a mere 35 cents (about 2.5 yuan), which undoubtedly added a bit of drama and irony to the auction.
It is reported that the final buyer is Sun Yuchen, the 34-year-old founder of TRON. After buying the work, he will not only receive a certificate of authenticity, but also a detailed instruction manual for installing and replacing the banana. However, Sun Yuchen said he planned to eat the banana to "pay tribute to its unique position in art history and popular culture." This move has attracted widespread attention and heated discussions from the public. Some people believe that this is a unique interpretation of art, while others question whether the auction is a speculation or money laundering.
This work by Cattelan is undoubtedly a sharp satire on market speculation. In this bubble-filled art market, the value of a work is often far from its actual artistic content, and is more dependent on market hype and the favor of speculators. This banana, in its simplest and most direct form, reveals this pathological phenomenon in the art market. This auction not only shocked people, but also triggered in-depth thinking about the value of art, market speculation and entertainment phenomena...
The irony is heightened by the fact that the set, which comes with a certificate of authenticity and installation instructions, offers the owner a "privilege" to replace the rotten banana at any time. However, the enthusiasm of bidders at this auction has not diminished at all. The bidding from telephones and the Internet was fierce and rapid, pushing the price of (The Comedian) from the starting price of $800,000 to $5.2 million. In this seemingly absurd auction, people seem to have completely forgotten the original value of the banana - only 35 cents (equivalent to about 2.5 yuan in RMB). This strong contrast not only makes people sigh at the madness of the market, but also reveals the huge gap between artistic value and market pricing.
