After the banana was snatched and gulped down by a fellow artist, it was indeed replaced, but not before an activist vandalized the exhibit, writing “Epstien [sic] didn’t kill himself” in lipstick on the wall. The conceptual piece, from that point onward had to be guarded by security, eventually sold for $120,000.

This year has seen some of the worst sales in decades for the art market, and the “Comedian” piece is unlikely to move the needle one way or the other.

The Italian artist who created the banana duct-taped to a wall that sold this week for $6.2 million, said in an interview published on Friday that the work was a "provocation" and an invitation to appreciate the true value of art.