In the most recent WTF moment, a banana that was duct-taped to a wall during the Art Basel Miami got sold for $120,000.
The most shocking thing about this is that 2 out of the 3 editions of the “Art” have been sold.
The last one is expected to go for $150,000.
The piece, which is called “The Comedian”, was created by Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian Artist, who has made the headlines in 2017 for the “America”, an 18 carat-gold toilet. But the toilet, which is worth $6 million, was stolen from the Blenheim Palace in England this year.
Emmanuel Perrotin, the founder of the Art Basel, said the work of Maurizio is not only about objects, but it’s about how the objects move through the world.
Emmanuel added, “Whether affixed to the wall of an art fair booth or displayed on the cover of the New York Post, his work forces us to question how value is placed on material goods.”
In a press statement that was released by Galerie Perrotin, the artist that came up with this idea first, said, “Back then, Cattelan was thinking of a sculpture that was shaped like a banana.”
The statement added, “Every time he traveled, he brought a banana with him and hung it in his hotel room to find inspiration. He made several models: first in resin, then in bronze and in painted bronze (before) finally coming back to the initial idea of a real banana.”
Some critics say this piece of art is a perfect representation of what the art world has become.
It is still not clear if the artist told the buyers about if the banana would start to decompose.
The Miami Herald reported that owners can replace the banana if it starts to decompose.