Would you pay over a million dollars for a banana & duct tape?

[Jack Aylmer]

WOULD YOU PAY OVER A MILLION BUCKS FOR A BANANA AND A ROLL OF DUCT TAPE?

SOTHEBY’S IS EXPECTING SOMEONE WILL.

PUTTING A PIECE TITLED ‘COMEDIAN’ UP FOR SALE IN NEW YORK, ESTIMATING IT’LL GO FOR BETWEEN ONE-MILLION-DOLLARS AND ONE-POINT-FIVE-MILLION-DOLLARS.

THAT’S RIGHT—ONE BANANA, ONE ROLL OF DUCT TAPE, A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY, AND INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PROPERLY DISPLAY YOUR PRIZED DUCT-TAPED BANANA.

THIS ALL STARTED BACK IN 20-19 WHEN ARTIST MAURIZIO CATTELAN DUCT-TAPED A BANANA TO A WALL, CALLED IT “COMEDIAN,” AND GOT $120-THOUSAND FOR AT A HIGH-PRICED ART SHOW IN MIAMI BEACH.

THE ART WORLD WENT WILD—SOMEONE ATE THE BANANA, SOMEONE ELSE CLAIMED THEY HAD THE IDEA FIRST, THERE WAS A LAWSUIT, AND EVEN ANOTHER “INSTALLATION” WAS DEVOURED BY A STUDENT.

IT’S THE BANANA THAT LAUNCHED A THOUSAND THINK PIECES!

AND NOW, ONE OF THE LAST VERSIONS OF “COMEDIAN” IS COMING BACK TO AUCTION AT SOTHEBY’S IN NEW YORK THIS NOVEMBER, AND IT’S EXPECTED TO GO FOR UP TO ONE-POINT-FIVE-MILLION-DOLLARS.

ACCORDING TO CNN, THE BANANA AND TAPE AREN’T THE ORIGINALS. THAT FRUIT HAS LONG SINCE GONE BAD.

SOTHEBY’S SAYS THAT PUTTING THIS WORK BACK ON THE MARKET LETS THE PUBLIC DECIDE ITS “TRUE VALUE.” ART STATEMENT OR CLEVER MARKETING?

WOULD YOU PAY A MILLION FOR IT, OR ARE YOU KEEPING YOUR BANANAS STRICTLY FOR BREAKFAST?

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FOR SAN, I’M JACK AYLMER.