Maurizio Cattelan’s provocative artwork of a banana duct-taped to a wall has fetched $6.2m (£4.9m) at Sotheby’s in New York – four times higher than pre-sale estimates.

The auction house says Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun outbid six other rivals to get the «Comedian» installation of the Italian visual artist on Wednesday.

«In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience,» Mr Sun was quoted as saying.

The taped banana – now perhaps one of the most expensive fruits ever sold – was actually bought earlier in the day for a mere $0.35, according to the New York Times.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87202v43no