The auction of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) has sent the art world into a frenzy.
The artwork – which comes in three editions featuring a banana, a roll of duct tape, a set of instructions on how to install the piece and a certificate of authenticity – hammered at US$5.2 million (nearly AU$8 million) at the Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Auction in New York on 20 November. The price far exceeded its now relatively conservative estimate of US$1-1.5 million (AU$1.52-2.28 million).
