Crypto mogul Sun eats banana artwork he purchased for $6.2m

Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun has made headlines today by following through on a promise he made after purchasing a controversial artwork for $6.2 million – by eating the banana that was taped to the wall.

Sun bit into the banana, at a press event in one of Hong Kong’s top hotels, in front of a large number of journalists and influencers, after a speech where he lauded the work as “iconic” and compared it to cryptocurrency. 

Sun remarked after taking his first bite: “It’s much better than other bananas. It’s really quite good.”

The artwork, titled “Comedian,” was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York last week. Sun was one of seven bidders. Reflecting on the moment he won the auction, Sun admitted he felt “disbelief” for the first few seconds before realizing the piece could become something much larger in the public’s eye.

Soon after, he decided to make history by eating the banana. “Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork’s story,” Sun explained.