With Art Basel Miami Beach kicking off not long ago, art-related stories are always expected to make their way to the headlines. However, I don’t think many could have foreseen this one.
The story starts with the 59-year-old Italian artist that is Maurizio Cattelan. The piece titled ‘Comedian’ seems to take inspiration from Andy Warhol’s iconic 1967 pop art fruit, and consists of a banana being duct-taped to a wall.
The piece received attention from people coming from all over the globe, with opinions on it varying as much as you would expect. However, amongst these viewers were some that saw the art as purchase-worthy.
As for what the price tag is, the work’s first edition reportedly came from a local Miami supermarket and sold to a Frenchman for $120,000 USD by Perrotin, an international art gallery. From here, rumours spread that a second edition, also sold to a Frenchman, went for the same price before a third went for an even higher price of $150,000.
and the talk the of Art Basel Miami. Head through the link in our bio to read @sarahecascone’s story about Maurizio Cattelan taping bananas to a wall at @artbasel… and selling them for $120,000 each. "The banana," explains the artist, "is supposed to be a banana." #ArtnetNews #ArtBasel #MiamiArtWeek #MaurizioCattelan
