Today, the news that a banana stuck to the wall with electrical tape was sold at auction – and by Sotheby’s – for 6.2 million. dollars, goes around the world, causing laughter but also skepticism, about what is ultimately considered Art.

After the initial shock, everyone wondered who was the bidder for the creation of the Italian visual artist, creator of “conceptual” works Maurizio Cattelan, known for corresponding style and content and … meaning (whatever that is) works.

The banana – work of art titled “Comedian” (comedian) was acquired after a “tough” battle in the auction room by a 30-year-old Chinese-American entrepreneur, Justin Sun, founder of the cryptocurrency platform Tron.

After the auction, San himself “excitedly” announced to X that he had obtained the banana and announced what he would do with it.

“It’s not just about art. It represents a cultural phenomenon that has created a bridge between the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” commented the businessman originally from Xining, China.

SUN

“I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and become part of history. I am honored to be a proud owner of the banana and look forward to it further inspiring and impacting art lovers around the world,” he wrote.

As for what he’ll do with the ephemeral artwork, he simply said he’ll… eat it.

“Over the next few days I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture. Stay tuned!” he reported.

In December 2021, Sun won an auction—with a bid of $28 million—to become the first paying passenger on Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle in July 2021, but was unable to fly on the mission due to commitments.

However, in a recent post, he hinted that he might send his banana to the moon…

Who Is Justin Sun, Cryptocurrency ‘Shape’ and ‘Prime Minister’ of Liberland

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In 2017, at the age of just 23, San made his list Forbes 30 under 30among the 30 most influential entrepreneurs and tech personalities in Asia, as the founder of Peiwo, an app that aspires to be China’s Snapchat and matches and connects users by analyzing 10-second voice samples and interests.

The young entrepreneur, before founding his own cryptocurrency platform, was also the former representative of Bitcoin settlement platform Ripple in China.

Sun also owns Rainberry (formerly Bitorrent Inc.), which developed the BitTorrent protocol and the BTT cryptocurrency token.

The 30-year-old businessman also owns the crypto exchange Poloniex, which is connected to the HTX (formerly Huobi) exchange.

In addition, from 2021 to 2023 he served as the Permanent Representative of Grenada (Caribbean country) to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva.

In October 2024, Sun was elected “President of the Congress” and “Prime Minister” of Liberland, a micro-nation (self-proclaimed country) that claims to own (but not control) a small area on the Danube River plain, bordering Serbia and Croatia.

Today his fortune is estimated at 1.5 billion dollars.

Trouble with the law in the US

In 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission sued Sun, alleging that his companies engaged in “fraudulent activity” (fraud) to inflate the price of TRON (TRX) and BTT, as well as sell unregistered securities.

Also, according to The Verge, in 2022, the young entrepreneur was investigated by the FBI and the District Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for possible criminal charges.