Log in

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought banana art for $6.2 million eats the fruit in Hong Kong

Posted 11/29/24

HONG KONG (AP) — A cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought a piece of conceptual art consisting of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, for $6.2 million last week ate the fruit in Hong Kong on …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought banana art for $6.2 million eats the fruit in Hong Kong

Posted

HONG KONG (AP) — A cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought a piece of conceptual art consisting of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, for $6.2 million last week ate the fruit in Hong Kong on Friday.

Chinese-born Justin Sun peeled off the duct tape and enjoyed the banana in a press conference held in The Peninsula Hong Kong, one of the city's priciest hotels, in the popular shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui.

“It tastes much better than other bananas. Indeed, quite good," he said.

“Comedian,” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a phenomenon when it debuted in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach, as festivalgoers tried to make out whether the single yellow piece of fruit affixed to a white wall with silver duct tape was a joke or a cheeky commentary on questionable standards among art collectors. At one point, another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it.

The piece attracted so much attention that it had to be withdrawn from view. But three editions sold for between $120,000 and $150,000, according to the gallery handling sales at the time.

Last week, Sun, founder of cryptocurrency platform TRON, made the winning bid at the Sotheby’s auction in New York. Or, more accurately, Sun purchased a certificate of authenticity that gives him the authority to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it “Comedian.”

At the time, Sun said in a statement that the piece “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.”

"I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture,” he said.

The South China Morning Post reported the banana he ate on Friday was bought in Hong Kong.

Sun on Tuesday announced on X he had invested $30 million in World Liberty Financial, which was launched by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in September as his family's cryptocurrency venture.

Sun said in the post that his platform, TRON, is “committed to making America great again and leading innovation." Following his investment in Trump's venture, he became an advisor of World Liberty Financial.

Last year, Sun was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud and other securities law violations. In response, he said on X the complaint “lacks merit."