The world's most expensive banana
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Duct-taped banana artwork sells for $6.2m in NYC
Maurizio Cattelan's provocative artwork of a banana duct-taped to a wall has fetched $6.2m (£4.9m) at Sotheby's in New York - four times higher than pre-sale estimates.
The auction house says Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun outbid six other rivals to get the "Comedian" installation of the Italian visual artist on Wednesday.
"In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience," Mr Sun was quoted as saying.
The taped banana - now perhaps one of the most expensive fruits ever sold - was actually bought earlier in the day for a mere $0.35, according to the New York Times.
"Comedian" was first unveiled to the public in 2019, instantly becoming a viral sensation and also provoking heated debates about what art is.
The installation - which has travelled around the world - comes with instructions on how to replace the banana whenever it rots.
In fact, the fruit has been eaten not once, but twice.
In 2023, a South Korean art student helped himself when the installation went on display at Seoul's Leeum Museum of Art.
The museum later placed a new banana in the same spot, local media reported.
Four years earlier, a performance artist pulled the banana from the wall after the artwork was sold for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami.
The banana was swiftly replaced, and no further action was taken.
Justin Sun runs the Tron blockchain network, which facilitates some cryptocurrency transactions. Last year the US Securities and Exchange Commission accused him of fraud, saying he had falsely inflated trading volumes of TRX, Tron’s crypto token. Mr Sun denies the charges.
Complete the following sentences using a word from the above text:
- The young ___ launched a startup that develops eco-friendly packaging.
- The company faced ___ for violating environmental regulations.
- The developer ___ a rival company to secure the land for the new project.
- Her handmade jewellery ___ good prices at local markets.
- The photographer’s work is currently on ___ at the city gallery.
- The tech company ___ its latest smartphone during a live-streamed event.
- The fire department responded ___ to the emergency call.
- This is the perfect ___ for a picnic by the lake.
- If you leave the vegetables out of the fridge, they’ll ___ quickly.
- She ___ a small café in the city centre.
Comments
There are people who pay money for duct-taped banana. What is more, there was a person who paid $6.2m, it was true, it was Mr Sun. The value of the banana is $0,35, actually in New York but it costs €0,25 in the market of Maravillas, here in Madrid. It´s necessary to add the duct-tape what costs another €0,25, approximately. Altogether, €0,50.
I´m going to call to Mr Cattelan to he sells for me an artwork, which is mine. This is a painting with a white background where there is a shadow only. It´s very beautiful. I think this is the next fhasion, after this duct-taped banana.
In the coming days, Mr Sun will eat the banana, that is, he is going to eat $6.2m. It´s impressive. As Mr Sun won´t be stupid, I suppose that, behind all of this, will there be other kind of business. The Us Securities and Exchange Commission accused him of fraud, although he denies it.
See you.
I agree that there must be an ulterior motive for paying an eye-watering sum for a banana. Even the super-rich don't throw their money away like this, surely.
I added a vocabulary exercise to the post but you can't have noticed it.
There are people who are willing to pay money for a duct-taped banana. Infact, there was a person who paid $6.2m - honestly, his name is Mr Sun. The value of the banana is $0,35 in New York but it costs €0,25 in the market of Maravillas here in Madrid. It´s necessary to add the duct-tape which costs another €0,25, approximately. Altogether, €0,50.
I´m going to call to Mr Cattelan to see if he is interested in buying an artwork of mine. It is a painting with a white background and a shadow. It´s very beautiful. I think this will be the next fashion following on from the duct-taped banana.
In the coming days, Mr Sun will eat the banana. In other words, he is going to eat $6.2m. It´s astonishing. Mr Sun can´t be stupid so I suppose that, behind all of this, there'll be some kind of shady business. The US Securities and Exchange Commission accused him of fraud, although he denies it.
P.S. I corrected this without the help of GPT.
Vocabulary exercise:
1.- Entrepreneur.
2.- Charges.
3.- Replaced.
4.- Outbid.
5.-Display.
6.- Unveiled.
7.- Swiftly.
8.- Spot.
9.- Rot.
10.-Fetched.
See you.
All correct apart from:
3. The developer outbid a rival company to secure the land for the new project. (As well as in auctions, you can make bids to win a contract in business. So the developer made a better offer than its rival = outbid. / to outbid sb)
4. Her handmade jewellery fetches good prices at local markets. (i.e. people pay a particular price for the products. / to fetch + price)
10. She runs a small café in the city centre. (to run a business = to be in charge of / to manage)