NEWS · B2 Level - Part 1

Banana Duct-Taped Artwork

In other news, a banana at the grocery store costs about 30 cents. This one just sold for 6.2 million dollars, which many believe is simply "bananas".

Level: B2 · 29 sentences

Transcript

  1. In other news, a banana at the grocery store costs about 30 cents.
  2. This one just sold for 6.2 million dollars, which many believe is simply "bananas".
  3. They sell for millions of dollars at auction.
  4. Picassos, Rembrandts, Warhols,
  5. Bananas? Say what?
  6. This so-called work of art consists entirely of a banana duct-taped to a wall,
  7. and it just sold for..., drum roll please....
  8. 6.2 million dollars.
  9. If you're asking how that can possibly be true, you are not alone.
  10. "6 million dollars? Somebody tell me the reason!"
  11. "because you've got too much money."
  12. Maurizio Cattelan is the artist who came up with the 6.2 million dollar banana,
  13. which is titled Comedian.
  14. Perhaps the perfect name for something that lots of people think is a joke.
  15. The banana art comes with a 14-page instruction manual that serves as proof of authenticity.
  16. It shows you how to refresh the work of art by buying a new banana and new duct tape.
  17. So this work of art can last forever, as long as you don't eat it.
  18. And of course, there will be people who will say, "That's the most ridiculous thing."
  19. And it sounds simple, but it's a brilliant, brilliant idea.
  20. So, who made the winning 6.2 million dollar bid?
  21. It's this guy from China who made his fortune on crypto and apparently has money to burn.
  22. We took our version to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to find out what art lovers think.
  23. ...
  24. There's going to be a lot of people who will make fun of it and will find it hilarious.
  25. But I think, not to be forgotten, is the curiosity and questioning what we're doing.
  26. And Maurizio Cattelan constantly has done that through his career.
  27. He isn't somebody who just woke up one morning and made a banana on the wall.
  28. He is a man who's questioned art and questioned psychology behind art-making for many years.
  29. So, for me, it fits in with his questioning many things of the past.