Nov 29, 2024 - Business

Crypto investor who paid $6.2 million for banana "artwork" eats it

Dave Lawler

Banana taped to wall — Photo: Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty

Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun paid $6.2 million for a banana taped to a wall — aka "Comedian," by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — and then ate it during a press conference in Hong Kong on Friday.

Why it matters: Arguably, it doesn't. But it's a bit of a metaphor for our times.

Manhattan fruit vendor Shah Alam sold the banana that Sotheby's went on to sell for $6.2 million for 35 cents. When the NYT tracked him down and filled him in on the sale he cried.
"I am a poor man. I have never had this kind of money," he said. "I have never seen this kind of money."

Go deeper: How a banana becomes worth $6 million

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Crypto investor who paid $6.2 million for banana "artwork" eats it

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