Artist whose duct-taped banana sold for US$6.2 million says his work is a ‘provocation’
‘It invites us to reflect on the value of art’, Maurizio Cattelan says after Chinese entrepreneur buys work for US$6.2 million at auction
The Italian artist who created the banana duct-taped to a wall that sold for US$6.2 million, says the work was a “provocation” and an invitation to appreciate the true value of art.
“It’s a provocation that invites us to reflect on the value of art and the dynamics of (this) market, pushing us to question what this work says about us as viewers,” Cattelan told Italian daily La Repubblica.
The piece of art, whose first version was made with a banana that cost 25 US cents, went from a starting price of US$800,000 to US$5.2 million, plus a buyer’s fee.
“It’s the market that has decided to take a banana stuck on the wall so seriously. If the system is so frail to slip on a banana skin, maybe it was already slippery,” Cattelan added.
