If you need more evidence that the billionaires are not being taxed enough, SF cryptocurrency mogul Justin Sun just paid $6.2 million for an art piece that is merely a banana duct taped to a wall, and says he is going to eat the banana live on the internet.

Jokester Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan pulled a stunt back in 2019 when he just plain duct-taped a banana to a wall at Miami Art Basel and called it art. But as things so often do in the art world, the joke duped people with way too much money on their hands, caused a whole lot of discussion about the meaning of art and satire, and the duct-taped banana sold for $120,000 at Art Basel that year. The gallery’s owner was happy to comply with this counterintuitive stupidity, telling the publication Artsy that “It looks like a joke, but step back and look at it again, and it becomes so much more.”

It became so much more that Cattelan created two more versions of the work, called “Comedian.” One is in the Guggenheim Museum, the other sold at Sotheby’s in New York City Wednesday for — this is not a typo — $6.2 million. And now the Chronicle reports that the $6.2 million buyer was SF cryptocurrency mogul Justin Sun.  

“I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve bought the banana,” Sun posted to Twitter Wednesday, tagging SpaceX, presumably to be a good little lickspittle to Elon Musk. “This is not just an artwork; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history.”

He then added, “Additionally, in the coming days, I will personally eat the banana [banana emoji] as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture.”

So it seems this is merely a $6.2 million investment in Justin Sun drawing attention to himself among the rich-kid memestock crowd. As the Chronicle notes, the conceptual work comes with a certificate of authenticity (plus a roll of duct tape), and a “14-page set of installation instructions” so the owner can duplicate the work with a new banana whenever they like, calling it a Cattelan original.

The Chronicle adds that “Despite the unconventional nature of the work, Sun believes it will only grow in cultural value over time, much like an NFT.” Except that NFTs were a complete flop investment for anyone stupid enough to put real money into them, and have often resulted in lawsuits for the celebrities who huckstered for them.

If you care, Sun will be eating the banana live on the internet in an “X Spaces” broadcast. Of course, this X Spaces is the same thing as Twitter Spaces, which seems to always crash during high-profile events.

Related: Not a Shocker: NFT-Backed Restaurant In Salesforce Park Is Not Happening [SFist]

Image: @justinsuntron via Twitter