Man eats £4.9m banana artwork

29 November 2024, 13:40 | Updated: 29 November 2024, 14:41

A cryptocurrency entrepreneur has kept his promise and eaten a banana he bought for $6.2m (£4.9m).

Justin Sun snapped up viral art piece Comedian - consisting of a single banana duct-taped to a white wall - in an auction at Sotheby's in New York last week.

The Chinese-born businessman immediately revealed his plan to destroy the artwork by enjoying the fruit as a snack and at a news conference today, he delivered on his word.

At a Hong Kong hotel, the 34-year-old took a bite and told reporters: "It's much better than other bananas. It's really quite good."

After purchasing Comedian, Mr Sun previously said the piece "represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community".

"Additionally, in the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honouring its place in both art history and popular culture," he vowed.

The piece, by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, became an online phenomenon when it debuted at Art Basel in Miami Beach in 2019, and sparked debate over whether it was a joke or commentary on the art world.

Comedian was first made with a banana that cost just 25 US cents (20p) and it's not the first time the artwork has been eaten.

A performance artist took the banana from the wall and ate it back in 2019, and a south Korean student did the same last May.

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Mr Sun can technically replace the fruit again, as his $6.2m purchase grants him a certificate of authenticity and the authority to duct-tape any banana to a wall and call it Comedian.

The entrepreneur founded cryptocurrency TRON and recently invested $30m into president-elect Donald Trump's crypto project.

(c) Sky News 2024: Man eats £4.9m banana artwork