Maurizio Cattelan’s viral artwork involving a banana duct-taped to a wall has sold at auction for US$5.2m, besting its 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, the price quickly leapt beyond the initial estimates, with the auctioneer saying at one point: “I never thought I’d say ‘$5 million for a banana’”.

The new owner of the world’s most expensive banana is not yet known, though the winning bid was placed through Sotheby’s China office. Whoever placed the successful bid – which cost an additional $1.2m in commission, taking the total to US$6.4m – will receive a banana, a roll of duct tape, a certificate of authenticity and instructions on how to install the work.

Described by the auctioneer as a “viral sensation”, Comedian debuted at Art Basel Miami fair in 2019 as an edition of three, where its US$120,000 price tag made headlines worldwide and prompted debates about the nature and value of art.

It subsequently went viral when New York performance artist David Datuna removed and ate the banana, which was then replaced.

More to come