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Justin Sun, the crypto entrepreneur who bought the artwork of a banana duct-taped to a wall for $6.2 million, ended up eating it.
In front of dozens of journalists and influencers, Sun ate the banana after heralding the artwork in a speech where he drew parallels between art and crypto.
The artwork was sold by Sothbey's Auction in New York last week, with Sun's winning bid making the banana the most expensive food item ever sold.
It was 180 times more expensive than caviar Almas beluga, which costs $34,500 per kilogramme.
However, the banana was initially sold to the artist for much less than a dollar in a Manhattan Fruit stall.
The owner of the fruit stall, Shah Alam, was reportedly shocked to learn his banana was sold for millions.
“I have never had this kind of money; I have never seen this kind of money," said Alam.
Sun later pledged to purchase 100,000 bananas from Alam's stall and said that his bananas would be distributed worldwide in a "celebration of beautiful connection between everyday life and art".
Since Maurizio Cattelan, the artist behind the duct-taped banana, gave the artwork a certificate of authenticity and left instructions on how to replace the banana when it goes bad, the artwork still technically exists. However, questions arise about its value and meaning now.
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