Art: duct-taped banana fetches US$5.2m

[Salted_Peanut]

Words fail me.

Guardian said:

Maurizio Cattelan’s viral artwork involving a banana duct-taped to a wall has sold at auction for US$5.2m, besting initial estimates of between US$1m and US$1.5m.

One of three editions for the 2019 work, titled Comedian, made its auction debut on Wednesday evening at Sotheby’s New York, as part of its contemporary art auction.

In a competitive and fast-moving auction in which cryptocurrency bids were accepted, bidding started at US$800,000 and quickly leapt beyond the initial estimates, as bids flew fast within the room at Sotheby’s Upper East Side location as well as over the phone and online.

“I never thought I’d say ‘$5 million for a banana’,” auctioneer Oliver Barker quipped as the bidding approached its climax. The banana displayed at Sotheby’s was reportedly purchased for 35c earlier that day.

[EmailAddress]

They should have gone through the self scan aisle.

[GR86oldboy]

Plus the chap that eventually paid over $6m will receive a banana, a roll of duct tape and instructions how to recreate it stuck to a wall, the winner says he'll eat the banana!!!

There are truly some bananas people in this world.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Well art is very subjective, don't you find it appeeling?

[ianrb]

GR86oldboy said:

Plus the chap that eventually paid over $6m will receive a banana, a roll of duct tape and instructions how to recreate it stuck to a wall, the winner says he'll eat the banana!!!

There are truly some bananas people in this world.

So what consititutes the art work? I have a banana, bought in Sainsburys today, a roll of duct tape from B&Q a month ago, the only thing missing are the instructions. If I take a guess at those instructions being something like "Take banana, stick to wall with duct tape" have I created a forgery?

[bloomen]

ianrb said:

So what consititutes the art work?

Enough mutual agreement that the intention on display is art.

[EmailAddress]

ianrb said:

GR86oldboy said:

Plus the chap that eventually paid over $6m will receive a banana, a roll of duct tape and instructions how to recreate it stuck to a wall, the winner says he'll eat the banana!!!

There are truly some bananas people in this world.

So what consititutes the art work? I have a banana, bought in Sainsburys today, a roll of duct tape from B&Q a month ago, the only thing missing are the instructions. If I take a guess at those instructions being something like "Take banana, stick to wall with duct tape" have I created a forgery?

They landed on the Moon with some duct tape and an air filter...

[krisdelta]

Is the wheeze with art;

- Make a thing
- Sell the thing for a ludicrous price
- Purchaser donates thing of said value to a gallery / museum collection
- Tax write-off ?

[ianrb]

bloomen said:

ianrb said:

So what consititutes the art work?

Enough mutual agreement that the intention on display is art.

OK. I suspect that the general population would not view that as art. If that's correct does it mean that it is not art? Or does the mutual agreement just need to be among a certain self selecting group?

[bloomen]

ianrb said:

OK. I suspect that the general population would not view that as art. If that's correct does it mean that it is not art? Or does the mutual agreement just need to be among a certain self selecting group?

The only thing that matters is what the in crowd thinks. If they tell the little people it's art, maybe enough of them agreeing with them seals its status. If they don't, who cares?

And if the definition of art is a creative act or object that makes you think and feel, that's what this is doing to us right now.

Probably for the wrong reasons.

[Hub]

So essentially does he now own the rights to taping bananas to walls with duct tape?

[BoRED S2upid]

ianrb said:

So what consititutes the art work? I have a banana, bought in Sainsburys today, a roll of duct tape from B&Q a month ago, the only thing missing are the instructions. If I take a guess at those instructions being something like "Take banana, stick to wall with duct tape" have I created a forgery?

The idea and the rights to the piece.

Art gallery wants to feature this piece they pay the buyer a fee to install it. Same with many pieces the artist sends their people to the gallery to make another version of the original.

[Cold]

Hub said:

So essentially does he now own the rights to taping bananas to walls with duct tape?

Possibly. Ceilings and floors, however...

[BoRED S2upid]

Hub said:

So essentially does he now own the rights to taping bananas to walls with duct tape?

Yes. And to call it by that artists name.

[williamp]

ianrb said:

GR86oldboy said:

Plus the chap that eventually paid over $6m will receive a banana, a roll of duct tape and instructions how to recreate it stuck to a wall, the winner says he'll eat the banana!!!

There are truly some bananas people in this world.

So what consititutes the art work? I have a banana, bought in Sainsburys today, a roll of duct tape from B&Q a month ago, the only thing missing are the instructions. If I take a guess at those instructions being something like "Take banana, stick to wall with duct tape" have I created a forgery?

Modern art is just a money making scam where the end buyer is convinced it will i crease in value and thus sell on. Annoyingly some pension pots include the value of said art work

[Cold]

Sheets Tabuer said:

Well art is very subjective, don't you find it appeeling?

Go and sit on the naughty step.

[kerplunk]

williamp said:

ianrb said:

GR86oldboy said:

Plus the chap that eventually paid over $6m will receive a banana, a roll of duct tape and instructions how to recreate it stuck to a wall, the winner says he'll eat the banana!!!

There are truly some bananas people in this world.

So what consititutes the art work? I have a banana, bought in Sainsburys today, a roll of duct tape from B&Q a month ago, the only thing missing are the instructions. If I take a guess at those instructions being something like "Take banana, stick to wall with duct tape" have I created a forgery?

Modern art is just a money making scam where the end buyer is convinced it will i crease in value and thus sell on. Annoyingly some pension pots include the value of said art work

It's rotten to the core - they've all got skin in the game

[Mr Whippy]

Toppy indicator I’d say.

[deadtom]

ianrb said:

OK. I suspect that the general population would not view that as art. If that's correct does it mean that it is not art? Or does the mutual agreement just need to be among a certain self -selecting felating group?

EFA

[Salted_Peanut]

Sheets Tabuer said:

Well art is very subjective, don't you find it appeeling?

Once you start telling jokes like that, it’s a slippery slope.