Artist Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian,” art consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall, drew $6.24 million at auction Wednesday.

The piece, sold by Sotheby’s, was bought by crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, according to Artnet.

The listing on the Sotheby’s website indicated that experts expected “Comedian” to sell for $1 million to $1.5 million. 

Thursday’s sale price is also well above what “Comedian” originally sold for after its debut in 2019. Back then, it grabbed $120,000 at auction. 

While the piece’s title may suggest otherwise, Mr. Cattelan has insisted that it’s not a parody of modern art and should be taken seriously. 

Mr. Cattelan’s art has fetched high prices at auctions before. In 2016, his “Him,” a life-size statue of Adolf Hitler, sold for $17.2 million at auction.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.