Reemerging banana art piece goes up for sale once more, boasting an estimated value of $1.5 million.
But renowned artist Maurizio Cattelan's viral piece, titled "Jester", might still prove to be a smart investment: As of Friday, auction house Sotheby's declared that one of the artwork's three "variations" is going back on sale, this time with an estimated price range of $1 million to $1.5 million.
The fortunate bidder will receive a roll of duct tape, one banana, and a certificate of authenticity, along with the official installation instructions. Sotheby's confirmed to CNN that neither the tape nor, thankfully, the banana are the original ones.
Auction house spokesperson stated that "Jester" is a conceptual artwork, with the actual physical materials being replaced for each installation.
Cattelan and French art gallery Perrotin made headlines worldwide five years ago when they displayed "Jester" at the Art Basel Miami Beach fair with a six-figure asking price. Although the original featured a banana from a Miami grocery store, the gallery could replace it according to the artist's directives.
Opinions within the art world about the piece were divided, with some critics viewing it as rooted in the strong history of conceptual art, including Marcel Duchamp's famous urinal, challenging the very notion of art value itself. Queues quickly formed, with fair attendees eager to see the viral installation.
Events took an unusual turn when performance artist David Datuna took the banana off the wall, peeled and ate it in front of hundreds of shocked fair attendees. He later justified his actions as an artistic performance in its own right, not an incident of vandalism.
The Miami installation was eventually removed due to public safety concerns, but all three variations were sold at the fair. Two were bought by private collectors for $120,000, while the third was acquired for a higher (but undisclosed) sum and later donated to The Guggenheim museum in New York.
Sotheby's wouldn't reveal the identity of the seller in the November auction, but mentioned that the current owner had obtained it from one of the original buyers' collection.
Following the Miami installation, Cattelan described "Jester" as a commentary in various interviews. Speaking to the Art Newspaper in 2021, he stated that it was "not a joke", labeling the viral piece as "a reflection of what we appreciate."
The Italian artist, known for satirical pieces that criticize popular culture, didn't immediately respond to CNN's request for comment regarding November's sale.
In a press release announcing the sale, Sotheby's head of contemporary art for the Americas, David Galperin, referred to "Jester" as a "rebellious piece of pure brilliance."
"Fusing profound critical thought and biting wit, this is a defining work for the artist and for our generation," Galperin said, adding: "If at its core, ‘Jester’ questions the concept of art value itself, then placing the work at auction... will be the ultimate realization of its core conceptual idea — the public will finally have a say in determining its true value."
Although this will be the first time "Jester" is displayed at auction, the work was recently exhibited at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea. It was consumed there as well: An art student from Seoul National University removed the fruit and consumed it, before taping the skin back to the wall.
"The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry," a gallery spokesperson informed CNN after the 2023 incident. The museum later substituted the eaten banana with a new one.
Sotheby's plans to exhibit the artwork before the sale, which will take place at the auction house's New York headquarters on November 20. "Jester" will be on display there on Monday, before embarking on a world tour that includes stops in London, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.
The style of "Jester" is rooted in the rich history of conceptual art, which challenges the notion of art value itself, as acknowledged by critics. The current iteration of the artwork, going back on sale, showcases the artistic flexibility within the conceptual art style.
