Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun bought one of three editions of the viral 2019 work, describing it as ‘a cultural phenomenon’. But what does he get for his money?

At first it was just a humble banana. Then it became a work of art – attached to a gallery wall with duct tape by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Next, it was eaten – twice – by a succession of performance artists who helped turn it into a global news story. And now, said banana has been sold for $5.2m at Sotheby’s New York, making it surely the most expensive piece of edible fruit on the planet.

The 2019 work, Comedian – which according to its maker is a “sincere commentary on what we value” – was purchased by crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun who described it as a “cultural phenomenon”. Sun forked out more than four times the initial estimate for the work during what was reported to have been an extremely fast-moving auction involving seven bidders. Even auctioneer Oliver Barker seemed a little taken aback: “These are words I never thought I would say: ‘The banana has sold for 5.2 million dollars,’” he joked at the conclusion of the sale.