The much-despised and desired banana that split the art world is headed to the auction block next month, where it’s estimated to sell for upwards of $1 million, according to an announcement from Sotheby’s yesterday, October 24.
Simply consisting of a banana duct-taped to a white wall, Maurizio Cattelan’s 2019 “Comedian” first catapulted to viral infamy when it debuted at Gallery Perrotin’s booth at Art Basel Miami Beach that year, selling three editions for up to $150,000 each.
Its saga has involved two instances in which the artwork was eaten (once in a performance by the late Georgian-American artist David Datuna, then in a seemingly candid munchie moment when a hungry art student needed a snack), an anonymous donation to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum collection, and innumerable humorous recreations on social media that have cemented its legacy as an iconic (albeit infuriating) 21st-century cultural zeitgeist.
Now, on November 20, the “Comedian” will go under the hammer alongside works by Jasper Johns, Alex Colville, and Cy Twombly at Sotheby’s Now and Contemporary Evening Auction in New York, with a pre-sale estimate of $1 million to $1.5 million. The auction will follow a world tour kicking off with a one-day exhibition in New York on October 28 before traveling to cities including London, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Los Angeles, according to the announcement.
Hyperallergic asked Sotheby’s whether the $1 million estimate is a joke. David Galperin, Sotheby’s head of Contemporary Art, Americas, responded that “‘Comedian’ is among the artist’s most iconic works, and so its value should be aligned with the highest ends of his market.” He added that some of Cattelan’s works have sold for as much as $17 million at auction and that “the estimate is just a starting point.”
“The beauty of bringing this work to auction is that it will finally give the public an opportunity to have a say in deciding its value,” Galperin added.
In a 2021 interview, Cattelan said he thought of the work as “a sincere commentary and a reflection on what we value.” The Italian artist is known for producing other satirical works including a working 18-karat gold toilet sculpture entitled “America” (2016), reportedly worth around $6 million, and a site-specific installation called “Daddy, Daddy” (2008) portraying Pinocchio’s demise in the Guggenheim Museum fountain.
A Sotheby’s representative told Hyperallergic that the buyer of “Comedian” will receive a certificate of authenticity along with official installation instructions, a roll of tape, and one banana.
“The banana and duct tape can be replaced as needed,” the Sotheby’s representative told Hyperallergic.
