Remember that banana? Duct-taped to a wall. It was in Miami at an art show a few years ago. It isn't the same banana. But it still is art.
The first edition of the artwork debuted in 2019 at the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair, drawing a mix of opinions as to whether it was a joke or cheeky commentary on questionable standards among art collectors. Another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it. But that didn't stop it from being a lasting piece of art. What makes it a permanent art piece is its "certificate."
So this week a person purchased the certificate of authenticity that gives them the authority to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it Comedian by artist Maurizio Cattelan.
What makes this news? The piece was sold for $5.2 and the auction fees are $1 million.
Don't you think the auction fees are as much of a story as the banana art? Supposedly the seller's commission at major auction houses is 15% plus shipping, insurance and then a marketing and cataloguing fee. Other articles say that buyers premiums have increased to 25%.
Stories like this ask us what we are to make of the art world? The art world certainly makes headlines, so maybe that's all there is to it - it keeps people with a lot of money busy spending it, and a lot of people have good jobs selling it.
No comments:
Post a Comment