The $6 Million Banana’s Appeal

价值 600 万美元的香蕉的吸引力

The Journal.

新闻

2024-12-07

21 分钟
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Last month, Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian,” a piece of conceptual art that consists of a banana duct taped to a wall, sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $6.2 million. WSJ’s Kelly Crow traces the banana’s origins from Art Basel Miami in 2019 to the top of the art market this year. Further Listening: - A Russian Billionaire, an Art Dealer and an Epic Feud  - The Basquiat Sisters on Managing One of Art's Hottest Brands Further Reading: - A $6.2 Million Banana and the Unexpected Return of the Art Market  - Someone Just Paid $6.2 Million for a Banana Duct-Taped to a Wall  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Can you tell me the story of.

  • When you first heard about the banana?

  • Okay, so my beginnings with the banana was the opening day of Art Basel Miami beach in 2019.

  • That's our colleague Kelly Crow who covers the art market.

  • Art Basel Miami is a big, high end art fair that happens every December.

  • Kelly was there walking around, checking out the sculptures and paintings.

  • And then I did see this banana duct taped to a wall.

  • And I saw a little half circle of people I call, you know, little looky loos just taking pictures of it.

  • And they were not the types to buy the work.

  • They were just having fun and posing and taking selfies with it.

  • And I remember in that moment, like, oh, isn't that cute?

  • But I logged it and then I moved on.

  • So, like, you didn't get a selfie with the banana?

  • I didn't.

  • I didn't get my selfie.

  • Back in 2019 when it first showed up at Art Basel, Kelly and others in the art world were somewhat dismissive of the banana, which was listed for sale at $120,000.

  • It seemed just like another quirky piece of contemporary art.

  • She didn't think it would be that.

  • Big of a deal, and we totally missed the point, which is that the entire rest of the art world thinks that the art world is an entire rigged game and a scam and a joke.

  • And did the emperor even wear clothes to the fair that day?