A 74-year-old fruit seller is receiving unexpected support after his humble banana sold for an extraordinary $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction. Shah Alam sold the banana for just 35 cents (Rs. 29), not knowing that it would later become the centerpiece of Maurizio Cattelan’s artwork, The Comedian. A surreal sale of fruit taped to a gallery wall explores the absurdity of the art world.
Alam, a Bangladeshi immigrant who has lived in the United States since 2007, works for $12 an hour at a modest fruit stand on the Upper East Side, selling fresh produce to locals. He never imagined that the bananas he sold to visitors at Sotheby’s auction house would become world-famous items that fetch millions of dollars.
When he heard about the sale, he broke down in tears. “I’m a poor man,” he told a New York Times reporter. “I’ve never had money like this and I’ve never seen money like this.”
Alam, who lives in a shared basement apartment in the Bronx, works 12-hour shifts four days a week, regardless of the weather. Despite Banana’s unexpected good fortune, he felt like he was the victim of the joke. “Who are the people who bought it?” he asked. “Don’t they know what a banana is?”
Read: ‘Comedian’ banana taped to wall sells for $6.2 million in New York
At last week’s auction, the banana sold for $5.2 million, and with additional fees, the total price was $6.2 million. The buyer, Chinese crypto tycoon Justin Sun, said he praised Arum’s role in the work.
Sun, whose net worth is estimated at more than $1.4 billion, also announced plans to buy 100,000 bananas from Alam’s stall as a gesture of gratitude. “To thank Mr. Shah Alam, I decided to buy 100,000 bananas from his kiosk on New York’s Upper East Side,” Sun wrote to X. “These bananas will be distributed free of charge around the world through his kiosks.”
As a thank you to Shah Alam, I decided to buy 100,000 bananas from his stand on New York’s Upper East Side. These bananas are distributed for free all over the world through his stand. With a valid ID, you can claim one banana while supplies last. https://t.co/jbCnh0u3JI
— Justin Sun ???? (@justinsuntron) November 28, 2024
Support for Mr. Son was not the only sign of solidarity. An anonymous New Yorker has launched a GoFundMe campaign to support Arum.
Read: Man eating banana buys artwork for Rs 52 million at auction
“Do we really want to live in a city where we can ignore tearful street vendors while praising the smart guy who figured out how to make $6 million off that joke?” Known only as “JS” Campaign organizers wrote that the fundraiser quickly raised more than $15,296 (Rs. 1,293,000) and that JS has promised to deliver the funds directly to Mr. Alam.
“Next week (after Thanksgiving) I will walk to the fruit store myself and videotape myself handing over the money,” JS wrote. “If we can’t find him, GoFundMe will give you your money back.”
