Hard To Believe

As I have said many times things always change and as communication becomes faster so does everything else. For centuries enormous effort was expended by artists on reproducing as accurately as possible the visible world. One radical change came when J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), the Romantic painter known as the “master of light” which soon led to Impressionism. Then came Cubism and right on its heals Abstract Expressionism. Each change in style brought on scorn and criticism. When Abstract Expressionism came around, I too thought: What talent does that take? To me it often just looked like scribbling. I like the comment I heard in a recent television interview, “You can’t change the conversation without ticking a few people off". So here we go again ...

Maurizio Cattelan (1960- ) is an Italian Conceptual artist. Known primarily for his hyperrealism in sculptures and installations, Cattelan also is a curator and publisher. His satirical approach to art has resulted in him being frequently labelled the “jester of the art world.” He has had no formal artistic training and calls himself an “art worker” not an artist.

As you probably know by now a work of his has sold for $6.2 million at Sotheby’s. The original 2019 edition sold at Art Basel Miami Beach, for between $120,000 and $150,000.

In 2024 this is the entry from Sotheby’s catalog:

*****
Comedian
banana and duct tape
7 ⅞ by 7 ⅞ by 2 in.
20 by 20 by 5 cm.
(installation dimensions variable)

Executed in 2019, this work is number 2 from an edition of 3 plus 2 artist’s proofs.
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.

Provenance:
Perrotin, New York
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 2019)
White Cube
Acquired from the above by the present owner
*****

Continuing with more than 25 bibliographic citations, the entry sounds to me like a send-up.

It’s not the Mona Lisa!

Prior to the sale, Sotheby's confirmed to CNN that neither the tape nor, thankfully, the banana are the originals. “'Comedian' is a conceptual artwork, and the actual physical materials are replaced with every installation,” an auction spokesperson said via email at the time.

Who would spend that kind of money on an ephemeral work? The answer turned out to be Justin Sun, the cryptocurrency entrepreneur who founded the block chain TRON. At a news conference in Hong Kong he followed in the “jester” mode and ate the banana. The “original” banana cost just 35 cents.

Defending his acquisition Sun said, “This is not just an artwork; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history.” I would think that is a bit optimistic but, by its nature, we cannot predict the future of art.

Sun added, “To thank Mr. Shah Alam, I’ve decided to buy 100,000 bananas from his stand on 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.” Here is a recap of what I and dozens of others have written about.

This leaves the question of why would an individual, some people would say, waste their money this way. Mr. Sun’s net worth is estimated at 1.4 billion dollars, certainly more than one would need to live a good life. Including what the 100,000 bananas would cost him the total he spent on his project was $6,235,000. Please correct me if my math is wrong but I believe that it is the same as if someone had $100,000 spent about $445 or just under 1/2% of their money. For Mr. Sun it seems cheap for the kind of advertising he got for his company. Was he just trying to make himself seem important? Then again maybe he just found it fun to continue the “jester” meme.

It could be a bit of all these and more. Maybe you can think of other possibilities?