Exclusive | Infamous banana artwork up for auction – here’s what a buyer will actually get for $1.5 million

The art world has gone bananas.

Five years after its creation, Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian, consisting of a banana duct taped to a wall, could fetch $1.5 million when it is auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York City next month .

However, what you actually get for the staggering sum is not the original banana.

The art lover who makes the winning bid on The Comedian can’t wait for Cattelan to come and install the fruity piece in their home.

Instead, they will receive a certificate of authenticity, giving them the right to show the work and detailed instructions on how to display it.

Plus, they’ll get a new banana and a roll of duct tape.

The infamous artwork defied claims by the creative industry when it was first unveiled at Art Basel Miami in 2019. It sharply divided viewers at the Florida art fair before making global headlines and even appearing on the cover of The Post.

“Daring to redefine what art can be, Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian became one of the art world’s most talked-about sensations,” Sotheby’s David Galperin told The Post, adding that the work “continues to capture the zeitgeist.” .”

Cattelan originally created three editions of Comedian for Art Basel Miami, buying three bananas for less than a dollar at a local grocery store.

Two of the works were subsequently sold for $120,000, while the third was donated to the Guggenheim Museum.

Now, the Comedian – which will feature a fresh banana and a new roll of duct tape – is going on a “global tour”, being exhibited in Sotheby’s galleries around the world ahead of the auction in New York City in November . . 20.

“This revolutionary work of art will ignite imagination and provoke debate when it tours the world in our galleries, with the public having the opportunity to witness the artist’s magic once again,” Galperin told The Post.

Art critics have pointed out that the physical representation of “The Comedian” is not the work itself, rather they say that the work raises questions and ideas about what actually constitutes “art”.

“The Comedian” is a “commentary on the wild world of contemporary art, communicating how the culture understands, interprets and engages with the arts,” author Brian C. Nixon declared in his book “Beauty (and Bananas).”

And judging by the buzz the work received at Art Basel five years ago, there’s no shortage of people who want to engage with the work.

While exhibiting at the Florida art fair, performance artist David Datuna ate the banana off the wall, describing the act as a performance piece titled “Hungry Artist.”

The banana was replaced later that day.

“The Comedian” became so popular that it was forced to be removed from Art Basel by curators who feared that other works would be damaged by a horde of people trying to see the banana.

Cattelan – the Italian artist who created “The Comedian” – has been described by Sotheby’s as “among the most brilliant provocateurs of Contemporary Art”.

In 2016, he hit the headlines after creating a work of art called “America” ​​- a sculpture of a fully functional golden toilet.