A banana that stirred controversy in the art world on Wednesday night sold for $6.2 million with fees at Sotheby’s contemporary art auction.

The banana is the star of a 2019 conceptual artwork, Comedian, by the noted prankster Maurizio Cattelan.

It was intended to be duct-taped onto the wall. 

The banana is also arguably the most expensive fruit in the world, even though it would likely be tossed in a couple of days. 

The fruit comes with a certificate of authenticity and installation instructions for owners to replace it whenever it rots. 

The Cattelan artwork first appeared at Art Basel Miami Beach, where Perrotin Gallery sold three editions of ‘Comedian’ for $120,000 to $150,000 each.

The crowds proved so disruptive that the gallery eventually took the banana out of the booth after a performance artist, David Datuna, ripped it off the wall and ate it. 

At Sotheby’s, the banana returned with an estimated value between $1 million and $1.5 million. But the final hammer price — $5.2 million, plus auction-house fees, for a total of $6.2 million — sextupled its low estimate.

The work became a media sensation.

Back then, the artist said he conceived his work as a satirical jab at market speculation.