Chinese billionaire eats $6 million banana (VIDEO)
Cryptocurrency investor Justin Sun devoured the Italian artwork as part of a “unique artistic experience”
Chinese-born cryptocurrency investor Justin Sun has eaten the banana-based artwork he bought at an auction last week for $6.2 million. Video from the open event in Hong Kong where he chewed his purchase on Friday has been shared online.
Titled ‘Comedian’, the conceptual work was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan in 2019 and consisted of a banana duct-taped to a wall. It was sold at Sotheby’s in New York on November 21, with Sun among seven bidders.
READ MORE: Crypto entrepreneur buys banana for $6.2 million
The entrepreneur, who actually received a banana and some duct tape, pledged to eat the fruit “as part of this unique artistic experience.”
“Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork’s history,” Sun said on Friday.
Justin Sun eats the banana taped to the wall that he bought for $6.2 million.
— Neetu Khandelwal (@T_Investor_) November 29, 2024
“This is not just a piece of art : it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency” - Justin Sun
Incredible @justinsuntron pic.twitter.com/rM7Sg1RXaA
“It’s much better than other bananas,” Sun told the crowd after his first bite. “It’s really quite good.” He also drew parallels between conceptual art and cryptocurrency.
The banana that Sun ate was not the same one that the creator of the artwork used back in 2019. After winning the auction, the entrepreneur was provided with instructions on how to present and treat the art installation, with the key part being to regularly replace the fruit. The purchase was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
The banana that Sun paid $6.2 million for at Sotheby’s was reportedly bought for 25 cents from a fruit stall in Manhattan tended to by a vendor who works for $12 an hour.
On Thursday, Sun pledged to buy 100,000 bananas from the stall and said the fruit would be distributed worldwide as “a celebration of the beautiful connection between everyday life and art.”
To thank Mr. Shah Alam, I’ve decided to buy 100,000 bananas from his stand in New York's Upper East Side. These bananas will be distributed free worldwide through his stand. Show a valid ID to claim one banana, while supplies last. https://t.co/jbCnh0u3JI
— H.E. Justin Sun ???? (@justinsuntron) November 28, 2024