74-Year-Old Vendor’s Banana Art: Poverty to Viral Wealth

The Unbelievable Tale of a Poor Man’s Artwork Selling for $6.2M

Shah Alam, a 74-year-old fruit vendor from New York, unknowingly sold a banana that became part of Maurizio Cattelan’s famous artwork, Comedian.

This piece, a banana duct-taped to a wall, sold at auction for $6.2 million. Alam, who sells fruit on the street for just $12 an hour, was devastated when he learned the banana’s value, saying, “I am a poor man,” and expressing his disbelief over the windfall.

Despite the artwork’s viral success, Alam has not seen any of the proceeds​.