Controversial Artwork 'Banana with Duct Tape' Sells for 5.9 Million: 'It's a Cultural Phenomenon'

new york - A controversial artwork of a banana with duct tape, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, has sold for nearly 5.9 million euros at an auction in New York.

The art world was captivated in 2019 by a controversial artwork: a banana with duct tape. A new version of this piece fetched nearly 5.9 million euros at an auction house in New York last night.

Many artists will undoubtedly be envious of the Italian Maurizio Cattelan. He 'created' a banana with duct tape three times before, naming these works 'Comedian'. In 2019, each version was sold for around 110,000 euros. This time, the auction house expected the newest edition to fetch approximately one million euros. However, it turned out to be nearly six times that amount.

Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun purchased the banana for 6.2 million dollars, which is about 5.9 million euros. 'The artwork is a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and cryptocurrency,' said Sun in a statement. He immediately knew what he wanted to do with the artwork. In the coming days, he will 'eat the banana as part of this unique artistic statement.'

Sun was not the only one interested in the artwork. The Associated Press reported that the auction house was very crowded, and bidding started at 800,000 dollars. The crypto entrepreneur also received a roll of duct tape, a certificate of authenticity, and official instructions for installing the artwork with his purchase.