Banana taped to wall sells for $6.2 million at art auction

[noname223]

Banana taped to wall sells for $6.2 million at art auction – DW – 11/21/2024

A controversial piece of art has sold for millions of dollars at auction, prompting debate as to what constitutes art.

www.dw.com

A work of art by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has been sold for $6.2 million (€5.8 million) at Sotheby's auction house in New York.


But the provocative artwork wasn't an historic oil painting, a thought-provoking piece of photography or a unique sculpture; it was a fresh piece of fruit.


A banana, to be precise. Stuck to a wall with a piece of duct tape.


"This is not just an artwork," insisted the winning bidder, Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun.


"It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community."

In what a world we live in. And I might kill myself because of poverty. Why does nobody buy a banana from me for a couple million US dollars.
A fucking cryptocurrency entrepreneur bought it. I am so sick of it.

How many lives could have been saved with this amount of money...

 

[J&L383]

 

[-nobodyknows-]

Probably just a money-laundering scheme tbh. That or the guy is just incredibly stupid.

 

[Kalista]

this is not a representation of art, but proof of how absolutely stupid people can be

 

[bitcrush]

How tf do I find rich people to scam? I feel like I could pull this grift off

 

[deadstillwalking]

art is subjective.

 

[LostLily]

*run to the grocery store to buy a banana and some duct tape

 

[CatLvr]

*run to the grocery store to buy a banana and some duct tape

No, no, that's already been done! Maybe a mango?? Or a bunch of grapes!! That might work!

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Crypto bros are so stupid man like you can sell them anything by teasing them with FOMO and exclusivity. That dude almost makes me ashamed to have a Chinese ethnic background.

 

[LostLily]

Crypto bros are so stupid man like you can sell them anything by teasing them with FOMO and exclusivity. That dude almost makes me ashamed to have a Chinese ethnic background.

true some people have more money than brains

 

[Pluto]

 

[not-2-b-the-answer]

Last night on The Late Show with Colbert they duck taped a banana to a painting of the Mona Lisa and called it art.

 

[Bulatow15]

So hard to believe this is a true story even though I know it is.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

art is subjective.

Funnily enough, based on my limited knowledge of the banana thingy, that comment hits pretty close to the point the artist, Maurizio Cattelan, was allegedly trying to make. The entire point of it was the push the boundaries of what could be considered art and see how far he could go. This piece of work is literally titled "Comedian". It was literally made by the same guy who made that other art piece that was basically just a fully functioning golden toilet and that he named "America". The entire piece could either be seen as something meant to comment on the commodification of art or as just a money laundering scheme. I honestly just think that it's fucking hilarious, especially with how pissed off it seems to make people and with the fact that there have been multiple instances of rich dumbases who have gone out of their way to buy it.

 

[Forever Sleep]

This argument dates way back to 1917 when the 'Dada' Artist Marcel Duchamp signed a urinal and exhibited it as 'Water Fountain'. He called them his 'readymade' sculptures:

Fountain (Duchamp) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

There have been other examples to this also. Carl Andre used to make 'sculptures' from piles of bricks:

'The Tate Gallery bought Carl Andre's Equivalent VIII in 1972 for £2,297 ($6,000). The purchase was controversial, with some critics questioning the value of modern art.'

So, what he's doing isn't actually anything new. Maybe it's a twist that someone ate his work at one point... I've seen installation pieces made up of tons of sweets though- if I remember rightly- I think anyone was allowed to eat a sweet there. So- his was far more elitest by comparison- he only granted another performance artist permission to eat the banana presumably.

But sure, it's crazy what some will consider art and pay for it. I've always slightly hated this type of stuff because I value skilled artistry. Somehow what I find even worse is so called 'Artists' who get other people to make their work! Yet, they get the credit for the idea. That's supposed to be the point if it though- conceptual art.

It's crazier still sometimes when you read what the piece is supposed to represent! I think they could have gone with a better interpretation personally. I think the 'piece' does much more on questioning things like originality, worth, intellectual property rights. Any one of us could gaffar tape a banana to a wall today yet- how much would we be paid for that?

It's obviously not the physical work that the person who bought it owns. I doubt they re-use the gaffa tape and, they have to replace the banana. So- it's the idea. The blueprint on how to create this 'masterpiece'. Is it even the artist themself who 'creates' the work each time? Likely not I imagine. So- they're not even paying the 'Artist' for their time. Just the permission to tape a banana to a gallery wall because their name obviously carries enough artistic merit.

What we all ought to do in protest is take our own bananas and rolls of gaffa tape along to the gallery to create our own versions. I expect that's breaking a law somewhere... Can you get in trouble for adding something to a gallery? It's making a statement though. That's what some Art is about at the end of the day.

 

[NoPoint2Life]

Last night on The Late Show with Colbert they duck taped a banana to a painting of the Mona Lisa and called it art.

I Love stephen colbert

I know I'm an idiot, but I'm I the only one wondering how the banana doesn't go rotten??

 

[not-2-b-the-answer]

I Love stephen colbert

I know I'm an idiot, but I'm I the only one wondering how the banana doesn't go rotten??

I thought the same thing. Even if you put it in the freezer, would it still turn brown ?
I guess you could keep replacing the bananas, it would look the same.

 

[whywere]

Having been in the business world for almost 50 years, I can attest to the fact that some people have more money than sense.

Walter

 

[DarkRange55]

This argument dates way back to 1917 when the 'Dada' Artist Marcel Duchamp signed a urinal and exhibited it as 'Water Fountain'. He called them his 'readymade' sculptures:

Fountain (Duchamp) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

There have been other examples to this also. Carl Andre used to make 'sculptures' from piles of bricks:

'The Tate Gallery bought Carl Andre's Equivalent VIII in 1972 for £2,297 ($6,000). The purchase was controversial, with some critics questioning the value of modern art.'

So, what he's doing isn't actually anything new. Maybe it's a twist that someone ate his work at one point... I've seen installation pieces made up of tons of sweets though- if I remember rightly- I think anyone was allowed to eat a sweet there. So- his was far more elitest by comparison- he only granted another performance artist permission to eat the banana presumably.

But sure, it's crazy what some will consider art and pay for it. I've always slightly hated this type of stuff because I value skilled artistry. Somehow what I find even worse is so called 'Artists' who get other people to make their work! Yet, they get the credit for the idea. That's supposed to be the point if it though- conceptual art.

It's crazier still sometimes when you read what the piece is supposed to represent! I think they could have gone with a better interpretation personally. I think the 'piece' does much more on questioning things like originality, worth, intellectual property rights. Any one of us could gaffar tape a banana to a wall today yet- how much would we be paid for that?

It's obviously not the physical work that the person who bought it owns. I doubt they re-use the gaffa tape and, they have to replace the banana. So- it's the idea. The blueprint on how to create this 'masterpiece'. Is it even the artist themself who 'creates' the work each time? Likely not I imagine. So- they're not even paying the 'Artist' for their time. Just the permission to tape a banana to a gallery wall because their name obviously carries enough artistic merit.

What we all ought to do in protest is take our own bananas and rolls of gaffa tape along to the gallery to create our own versions. I expect that's breaking a law somewhere... Can you get in trouble for adding something to a gallery? It's making a statement though. That's what some Art is about at the end of the day.

Absurd. The urinal at least was satire.

Regarding the value of art: what is good or bad is totally subjective. The art dealers promote art they like and the standards are set by the market. You are not going to buy art you don't like. Other buyers will buy art they are told is good or because they are competing with friends or others in their social or economic class to have the latest cool works that have been stamped with approval by global art dealers and publicized in the media as the latest new concept like NFTs. Other collectors are looking at history and have read about amazing increases in value and want to make money investing in what appears to them to have a great future no matter how bizarre it is. I only buy what I like. Many are not smart enough to invest in anything. I personally know professionals who have overpaid for work that turns out not to be valuable in the global market.
But I've posted at more length about this in other threads.

 

[Angst Filled Fuck Up]

It's not the art they're paying for. It's the un-putrifying banana. That's easily worth 6 million, considering the ones I buy turn brown like three hours after getting them home.

 

[RiverOfLife]

Probably just a money-laundering scheme tbh. That or the guy is just incredibly stupid.

I hope it's a money-laundering scheme because otherwise people are even dumber than I thought.

 

[Hvergelmir]

I imagine it like a stupid competition for very rich people. Someone who spends millions on something like this will get noticed and remembered, in circles where it might be very hard to stand out.
People who don't have millions, do similarly bizarre things for attention.

That's just a speculation though. It could of course also be money laundering, or even some kind of activism.

 

[Ironborn]

"Art is subjective" is the most cope I have ever heard in my life because they know how fucking stupid it is to praise a banana taped to a wall or an unmade bed but them admitting that would expose them for the gullible fools they are.
My gauge for if something is art is simply "Could I make that?"
Not a chance in hell I could paint anything like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or sculpt something like the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

 

[DarkRange55]

Is the exclusivity of an NFT its value? You have one, I don't. Is a digital photo on your phone valuable because I don't have it? Is a secret inherently valuable by definition? Is my beer can collection more valuable than your fishing lure collection because of exclusivity? Is the inherent banality of a banana elevated to art status by being taped to a wall what makes it worth $millions? Look at how vandalism of private property by Banksy has made him $millions. Have you watched "Exit through the Gift Shop". We live in a crazy, wonderful and fascinating world where perspectives and rules, laws, conventions, and values all collide. What is "Taste" vs Kitsch" ?

 

[deadstillwalking]

"Art is subjective" is the most cope I have ever heard in my life because they know how fucking stupid it is to praise a banana taped to a wall or an unmade bed but them admitting that would expose them for the gullible fools they are.
My gauge for if something is art is simply "Could I make that?"
Not a chance in hell I could paint anything like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or sculpt something like the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

yeah, many people think that but what does it matter if a multi-millionaire if not a billionaire buys this piece of junk for the sake of irony? Buddy simply bought the banana because they knew it wouldn't affect them financially . I see art in it and if I had enough euro coins to fill up the local lake I would most likely buy it too, just for the fun of it. I mean, why do we even discuss things us commoners can't understand?

 

[turnaround]

Banana taped to wall sells for $6.2 million at art auction – DW – 11/21/2024

A controversial piece of art has sold for millions of dollars at auction, prompting debate as to what constitutes art.

www.dw.com

A work of art by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has been sold for $6.2 million (€5.8 million) at Sotheby's auction house in New York.


But the provocative artwork wasn't an historic oil painting, a thought-provoking piece of photography or a unique sculpture; it was a fresh piece of fruit.


A banana, to be precise. Stuck to a wall with a piece of duct tape.


"This is not just an artwork," insisted the winning bidder, Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun.


"It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community."

In what a world we live in. And I might kill myself because of poverty. Why does nobody buy a banana from me for a couple million US dollars.
A fucking cryptocurrency entrepreneur bought it. I am so sick of it.

How many lives could have been saved with this amount of money...

What a time to be alive.

 

[untothedepths]

im a fan of some 'postmodern' artwork at times. give me a banged up ball of brass shaped in a funny way. i like that.

but, i remember reading somewhere these types of artworks could be a way to launder money.

 

[ms_beaverhousen]

I wish he had bought it and by the time someone went to confiscate it for sale they walk up to find a little kid standing next to a wall looking bored while smacking on a banana...

 

[freekid]

Thanks, I hate it. Last night at my grocery job I let this guy who came up to me with a single serving milk, a banana and a small bag of candy, he told me he was homeless and just really wanted the milk but I told him to take the banana too. This poor guy just thanked me like 5 times and left. For a single banana he definitely could have stolen anyway

I can't wait to think about this every time I run out my money and fail to afford food until payday

 

[isolatedl111]

Thanks, I hate it. Last night at my grocery job I let this guy who came up to me with a single serving milk, a banana and a small bag of candy, he told me he was homeless and just really wanted the milk but I told him to take the banana too. This poor guy just thanked me like 5 times and left. For a single banana he definitely could have stolen anyway

I can't wait to think about this every time I run out my money and fail to afford food until payday

Wow