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A 74-year-old fruit vendor is receiving unexpected support after his humble banana was sold for an extraordinary $6.2 million at an auction at Sotheby’s. Shah Alam sold the banana for just 35 cents (Rs 29) not realising it would go on to become the centrepiece of Maurizio Cattelan’s artwork, ‘Comedian’. The surreal sale of the fruit taped to a gallery wall explores the absurdities of the art world.
Mr Alam, a Bangladeshi immigrant who has lived in the US since 2007, works at a modest fruit stand on the Upper East Side for $12 an hour, selling fresh produce to locals. He had no idea the banana he sold to a visitor at the Sotheby’s auction house would become a world-famous item fetching millions.
Upon hearing about the sale, he broke down in tears. “I am a poor man,” he told a New York Times reporter. “I have never had this kind of money; I have never seen this kind of money.”
Living in a shared basement apartment in the Bronx, Mr Alam works 12-hour shifts, four days a week, regardless of the weather. Despite the unexpected windfall for the banana, he felt like the joke had been at his expense. “Those who bought it, what kind of people are they?” he asked. “Do they not know what a banana is?”
Read: “Comedian”, Banana Taped To A Wall, Sells For $6.2 Million In New York
Last week’s auction saw the banana fetch $5.2 million, with extra fees bringing the total to $6.2 million. The buyer, Chinese cryptocurrency mogul Justin Sun, said he admired Mr Alam’s role in the work.
Mr Sun, whose net worth is estimated to be over $1.4 billion, has also announced that he plans to buy 1 lakh bananas from Mr Alam’s stand as a gesture of gratitude. “To thank Mr Shah Alam, I’ve decided to buy 100,000 bananas from his stand in New York’s Upper East Side,” Mr Sun wrote on X. “These bananas will be distributed free worldwide through his stand.”
To thank Mr. Shah Alam, I’ve decided to buy 100,000 bananas from his stand in New York’s Upper East Side. These bananas will be distributed free worldwide through his stand. Show a valid ID to claim one banana, while supplies last. https://t.co/jbCnh0u3JI
— H.E. Justin Sun ???? (@justinsuntron) November 28, 2024
Mr Sun’s support was not the only sign of solidarity. An anonymous New Yorker launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Mr Alam.
Read: Man Eats Banana Artwork He Bought For Rs 52 Crore In Auction
“Do we really want to live in a city where we can shrug off a street vendor who’s moved to tears…while celebrating some smartass for figuring out how to make $6 million from that joke?” the campaign’s organiser, known only as “JS,” wrote. The fundraiser quickly raised over $15,296 (Rs 12.93 lakh), with JS promising to directly deliver the money to Mr Alam.
“I will walk to the fruit stand myself next week (after Thanksgiving) and take a video of me handing him the money myself,” JS wrote. “If I don’t find him, GoFundMe will return your money.”
