一根香蕉卖12万美元？？？

近日，在美国巴塞尔艺术展（Art Basel）上，一根被胶带粘贴在墙上的香蕉卖出天价：12万美元。

这件“艺术品”出自意大利艺术家莫瑞吉奥·卡特兰（Maurizio Cattelan）之手，这位艺术家你可能很陌生，但其实，我们在9月份黄金马桶艺术品在英国被盗一文中就提到他了，这个马桶也是他设计的。

你可能还记得，这件马桶艺术品名为“美国（America）”，而这根香蕉艺术品起名为“喜剧演员（Comedian）”。

据介绍，香蕉是在迈阿密一家超市买的。该艺术作品一共有三个版本，前两根香蕉以12万美元被卖出，最后一根提价到15万美元。

Banana duct-taped to a wall sells for $120,000 at Art Basel

The Telegraph

A banana duct-taped to a wall has sold for $120,000 (£91,550) at one of North America's most prestigious art shows, with another version of the artwork expected to sell for $150,000 (£114,460).

duct-taped

duct tape本身为不可数名词，表示“强力胶带，管道胶带”，英文解释为“a long, thin strip of very strong, sticky material that is sold in a roll and is often used for covering holes or other repair jobs”。

prestigious

表示“有威望的，有声望的，有威信的”，英文解释为“admired as one of the best and most important”如：a prestigious literary award 享有盛名的文学奖。

The prized installation, by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was unveiled at the Art Basel Miami Beach on Wednesday by the Parisian contemporary art gallery Perrotin.

prized

表示“非常有价值的，非常重要的，极其珍贵的”，英文解释为“considered valuable and important”举个🌰：

Her photograph is among my most prized possessions.

她的照片是我最珍贵的财富之一。

installation

熟词僻义，表示“装置艺术（除物体外还运用声音、动作或空间来创作临时艺术品的现代雕塑形式）”，英文解释为“a form of modern sculpture where the artist uses sound, movement, or space as well as objects in order to make an often temporary work of art”。

8月份韩国男厕所掀起“贴眼睛”活动的一文中就提到，装置艺术家，装置艺术的介绍：Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called public art, land art or intervention art; however, the boundaries between these terms overlap.

It is not the first time Cattelan's work has made headlines. An infamous 18-carat lavatory, entitled “America” drew huge crowds when it went on display at New York's Guggenheim museum in 2016. It was installed at Blenheim Palace in September but stolen just hours later.

lavatory

lavatory /ˈlævətərɪ/ 表示“厕所”，英文解释为“A lavatory is a toilet or a room with a toilet in it.”

Despite it being Cattelan's first contribution to an art fair in 15 years, the gallery appeared taken aback by the popularity of the artist's latest piece.

fair

art fair 艺术博览会，fair作名词有多种含义，比如指“商品展销会，商品交易会”，英文解释为“a large show at which people who work in a particular industry meet, and sell and advertise their products”，如：a book/antiques/toy fair 书展/古玩交易会/玩具展销会。也可以指“露天游乐场”（a type of entertainment in a field or park at which people can ride on large machines and play games to win prizes），如：all the fun of the fair 露天游乐园的一切乐趣。

take aback

表示“使（某人）大吃一惊”，英文解释为“ to surprise or shock someone so much that they do not know how to behave for a short time”举个🌰：

I was a little taken aback at the directness of the question.

问题问得如此直接，让我有点儿吃惊。

The news really took us aback.

这消息着实令我们吃了一惊。

piece

本身可以表示“艺术品”，英文解释为“You can refer to a work of art as a piece.”举个🌰：

Each piece is unique, an exquisite painting of a real person, done on ivory.

每件艺术品都很独特，均为绘在象牙上的真人精致画像。

“It's a miracle; I don't know how this happened...When we started to work together I had to fight to convince collectors one by one to buy his work,” the gallery's founder Emmanuel Perrotin told artnet.com.

When two editions of the piece promptly sold for $120,000, the vendors decided to offer the third and final piece for $150,000. At least two institutions are reportedly interest in purchasing it.

However, potential owners have not been given and advice on what to do if the work begins to decompose. “If the banana moulds, a decision on that will be made on site,” the gallery said.  

decompose

表示“腐烂，分解”，英文解释为“to be destroyed gradually by natural chemical processes”，如：a decomposing corpse 正在腐烂的尸体；

对比：

· decay：to be destroyed gradually by natural processes; to destroy sth in this way （使）腐烂，腐朽，如：decaying leaves/teeth/food 烂叶；蛀齿；腐烂食物。

· rot：to decay, or make sth decay, naturally and gradually （使）腐烂，腐败变质，如：rotting leaves 渐渐腐烂的叶子。

mould

此处作动词表示“发霉，长霉”，英文解释为“to become moldy”，和mold一样，mould为英式拼写，mold为美式。

Entitled "Comedian", the artwork is comprised of a banana purchased in a Miami supermarket and held to the wall with a single piece of duct tape. 

Despite the title of the piece, Perrotin insists the work is not a joke, with everything from the shape of the banana to its placement in the installation given a great deal of consideration. 

Cattelan himself has offered no direction on how to interpret the work, but MrPerrotin previously told CNN the bananas are "a symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humour".

double entendre

double entendre表示“（通常指有猥亵含意的）双关语”，英文解释为“a word or phrase that might be understood in two ways, one of which is usually sexual”；

与“双关”相关的还有一个词叫pun，pun本身即为“双关语，双关”的含义。A pun is a clever and amusing use of a word or phrase with two meanings, or of words with the same sound but different meanings.

两者有什么区别？The words double entendre and pun are both about double meanings. Double entendre, in fact, originated in an obsolete expression in French, which means “double meaning.” The origins of pun are less certain, but it likely traces to the Italian word puntiglio meaning “fine point, quibble.”

In English, double entendre refers to a double meaning in which one meaning is usually shocking or risqué in its sexual suggestiveness. Pun usually has more to do with silly or humorous double meanings than with anything sexually suggestive or lewd.

这里，我想到这么一句很经典的话，Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. 很有意思的一句话，说的是，时光飞逝如箭，光阴似箭。水果飞逝如香蕉？

那就错了，实际上后半句主语是fruit flies，果蝇爱香蕉！而关于前半句Time flies like an arrow. 的理解也可以有多种多样，所谓的“双关”。比如，同样解释为，A particular variety of flies (time flies) adores arrows. 某品种苍蝇（时光苍蝇），爱上了箭。甚至可以理解为Time flies like an arrow这是个祈使句，Time是动词，这么理解：Assess the pace of flies as you would assess the pace of an arrow. 更多介绍详细阅读：时光飞逝，果蝇爱香蕉？

The installation has fast become one of the most talked-about works at this  year's Art Basel, with several viewers lining up to take selfies with the  piece.  One passerby was heard declaring the work "the best of the show". However some art fans were less than impressed, with one, Weezie Chandler, telling  local media: “You can do anything and once you're established you can get  away with it.” 

established

表示“（因为优秀而）被认可的，著名的”，英文解释为“used for describing someone who is known for doing a job well, because they have been doing it for a long time”，如：an established artist/star 著名艺术家/明星。

The gallery said Cattelan spent a year working on the piece and had originally envisioned a sculpture shaped like a banana.

"Every time he travelled, he brought a banana with him and hung it in his hotel room to find inspiration. He made several models: first in resin, then in bronze and in painted bronze," the gallery said in a statement.

Ultimately, the gallery said, Cattelan decided a real banana was the perfect fit.

resin

resin /ˈrɛzɪn/ 表示“树脂”，英文解释为“a sticky substance that is produced by some trees and is used in making varnish , medicine, etc.”

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