A banana duct-taped to a wall has sold for $6.2m (£4.9m) at an auction in New York.

The conceptual art piece, called Comedian, became a viral sensation after Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan debuted it at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019.

Festivalgoers tried to make out whether the single piece of fruit stuck to a white wall with silver tape was a joke or cheeky commentary on questionable standards among art collectors.

The Sotheby’s auction house said it was the announcement of a new original work by the prominent and provocative artist Cattelan that initially captured the world’s attention, but Comedian “quickly erupted into a viral global sensation that drew record crowds, social media inundation, landed the cover of The New York Post, and divided viewers and critics alike”.

At one point, someone even took the banana off the wall and ate it.

Now Justin Sun, founder of cryptocurrency platform TRON, has paid $6.2m at an auction for a certificate of authenticity that gives him the authority to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it “Comedian.”

Mr Sun said Comedian “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community”.

But the latest version won’t last long – because he’s going to eat it.

“Additionally, in the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honouring its place in both art history and popular culture,” Mr Sun said.

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The Sotheby’s auction saw bidding start at $800,000 and increase to multi-millions within minutes, with the auctioneer joking: “Don’t let it slip away.”

Lucius Elliot, head of contemporary marquee sales at Sotheby’s, said there has been much debate over “whether this is art, whether it is a prank, whether it is a symbol of the excess of the art market”.

“In truth, it is, of course, all of those things,” he concluded.