Rs51 crore for a banana? Here’s the bizarre history behind this duct-taped fruit

Picture this: a single banana, bought for mere pocket change, duct-taped to a wall, and then sold for an eye-watering ₹51 crore (approximately $6.2 million). Yes, you read that right. No gold-plating, no encrusted jewels — just a regular banana with a bit of duct tape.
This quirky art installation, aptly titled Comedian, is the brainchild of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. It recently made headlines again after being sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, fetching a price almost four times higher than its estimated value — the piece went from an $800,000 starting price to the final millions, plus a buyer’s premium by the time it sold. The buyer? A Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur who paid in crypto and clearly saw something in that banana that most of us probably missed.
But how did something so simple become worth more than some of the world’s most expensive paintings? Let’s peel back the layers.
When Cattelan first introduced Comedian in 2019 at Art Basel in Miami, it became an instant internet sensation. Three editions of the duct-taped banana were sold for amounts ranging from ₹1 crore to ₹1.2 crore. Critics and fans alike couldn’t stop talking about it. Was it genius? Was it a joke? Or was it a mirror held up to the absurdity of the modern art world? People argued it highlighted the ridiculousness of skyrocketing art prices and the growing wealth gap. Some called it an “object lesson” in the excesses of the global economy. And, of course, memes flew faster than the speed of thought.
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The banana wasn’t just a piece of fruit on a wall; it became a magnet for performance artists. Shortly after its debut, artist David Datuna walked up to the installation, peeled the banana, and ate it in front of a stunned crowd. Did this destroy the artwork? Absolutely not. The gallery staff simply taped up a fresh banana, and Comedian lived to tell the tale.
The same thing happened again in 2023 in South Korea, where yet another bold soul devoured the banana in full public view. He said he ate it because he had skipped breakfast that day and was hungry. After this unfortunate incident, the banana was replaced yet again in an attempt to prove that the artwork wasn’t in the fruit itself but in the idea behind it.
For most of us in India, a banana is a staple. It’s what we grab for a quick breakfast or offer as prasad in temples. The thought of paying lakhs — or even crores — for one, is laughable. But that’s exactly what makes Comedian so compelling. It forces us to ask: What is art? Is it about the skill? The materials? Or is it simply about what someone is willing to pay for it? Cattelan’s creation taps into these questions and wraps them in satire. It pokes fun at the art world while somehow being part of it. It’s both absurd and profound—a banana that makes you laugh and think.
At its core, Comedian is as much about the reactions it generates as the banana itself. So, the next time you grab a banana from the local x, just think — you might be holding the next big art sensation. All you need is a bit of duct tape and a lot of audacity.