A fruit vendor in New York City recently discovered his modest wares had become part of an art spectacle that fetched an extraordinary price. Shah Alam, a 74-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant, unknowingly sold a banana that became the centerpiece of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial work, Comedian. The piece, initially showcased in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach, is a critique of the art market’s excesses. Last week, it sold at Sotheby’s for $6.2 million, fees included.
According to The New York Times, Alam works long hours at a sidewalk fruit stand outside Sotheby’s on the Upper East Side, earning $12 an hour. The banana he sold for 35 cents became part of Cattelan’s artwork—a simple fruit duct-taped to a gallery wall. Its value is tied to the provocative commentary it offers on the art world’s extravagance and the very money it attracts. The conceptual piece was sold by Sotheby’s on behalf of an anonymous collector, with bidding starting at $800,000 and closing within minutes to a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur, Justin Sun.
Alam, who is partially blind and speaks limited English, only learned about the sale’s astronomical price when a reporter informed him. Overwhelmed by the news, Alam expressed disbelief and sadness. “I am a poor man,” he said tearfully. “I have never seen this kind of money.”
Having moved to the U.S. in 2007 to be closer to his daughter, Alam lives in a Bronx basement apartment shared with five others, paying $500 monthly. A widower, he spends 12 hours a day, four days a week, at his fruit stand on York Avenue, regardless of the weather.
While the artwork’s humor eluded him, Alam couldn’t help but feel like the punchline of a cruel joke. “Do they not know what a banana is?” he asked.
Cattelan, who received no payment from the Sotheby’s sale, expressed empathy but offered no direct support. “The vendor’s reaction moves me deeply, showcasing how art can provoke unexpected emotions,” he said in a statement. “Yet, art cannot solve problems—it’s not politics.”
Meanwhile, Sun, the artwork’s new owner, vowed to compensate Alam in a grand gesture. “To thank Mr. Shah Alam, I’ve decided to buy 100,000 bananas from his stand,” Sun announced on social media, promising to distribute the fruit globally for free.
Alam’s plight struck a chord with New Yorkers. An anonymous local started a GoFundMe campaign, pledging to match the first $5,000 raised. The fundraiser decried the glaring disparity between Alam’s struggle and the wealth celebrated in the art world. “Do we really want to live in a city where we ignore the tears of a street vendor while applauding someone who profits $6 million from a joke?” the campaign description read.
By Thursday night, donations had surpassed $8,600. The organizer, identified only as “JS,” promised to personally deliver the funds. “I’ll visit the fruit stand next week and document handing him the money. If I can’t find him, all donations will be refunded,” they wrote.
