In 1498, Michelangelo Buonarroti was paid 450 ducats, about $70,000, to carve the figure of the grieving Virgin Mary and her Son out of Carrara marble. In 2024, conceptual artist Maurizo Cattelan was paid $6.2 million for an ordinary banana duct-taped to a white wall.
The buyer of the banana then ate the banana.
Oh, but, not to worry. The buyer, a cryptocurrency founder, did get a Certificate of Authenticity entitling him to get any banana and any duct tape and tape that banana to a wall any time he wants to re-create the same work.
Banana owner Justin Sun tweeted that he was eating the banana to honor its place in art history and popular culture.
Briefs and quick reads selected and edited by The Smart Reader’s editorial team.
