"Despite the artwork’s hefty price tag, Perrotin isn’t worried about someone stealing Comedian. There’s a spare banana on hand in the booth, and more importantly, without the artist’s certificate of authenticity, it reverts to being just a banana." (UPDATED 2X)

The magic of certificates of authenticity, Miami Basel edition.

UPDATE: This has predictably generated a ton of coverage (and banana puns). Robin Pogrebin has a story here. A "grudging" defense by Jason Farago here. One edition has been pledged to an (unnamed) museum.

UPDATE 2: Jonathan Jones: Don't make fun of the $120,000 banana – it's in on the joke.