Source: Reuters (Screenshot)
Banana artwork by Danish artist Thyra Hilden, resembling a vulva, was sold for $12,869 at the Enter Art Fair in Copenhagen, it emerged on Tuesday.
The piece, deliberately priced at a fraction of its so-called male counterpart — Maurizio Cattelan’s $120,000 “Comedian” banana — has raised not just eyebrows, but has prompted conversation about gender equality in the art world.
Cattelan’s banana — taped to a wall — fetched $120,000 at Art Basel in 2019, and later earned a jaw-dropping $6.24 million at Sotheby’s in 2024. In a playful twist, Hilden set the price of her artwork at 10% of Cattelan’s, with hopes to challenge the norm.
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Anders Andersen, who purchased the piece, has plans to replace the banana daily, adding his own twist to this cheeky commentary on art, value, and gender. “The price might sound ridiculous, but I hope the real value will come from what the female artist wishes to express through the work,” Andersen said.
The Enter Art Fair, Scandinavia’s largest international art event, continues to spark these tasty discussions on the value of art, with a side of humor.