New York City, NY (April 1, 2025) — A new piece of conceptual art titled “The Cyclistien” has sold for a record $6.5 million dollars, according to a statement by auction house Sotherstie’s.
The Cyclistien, pictured below, is part of a new trend of ephemeral art, put forth by the New New School. The brainchild of artist Jacques Grimpeur, the art features a discarded banana peel taped to asphalt. The piece was temporarily on display on a side street somewhere in the western United States.
Grimpeur stated, “For me, this art symbolizes the hopelessness of eating the last banana on a long ride and the emptiness and hunger that each of us feels when cycling.” He went on to say “bananas are part of the universal language of cycling. We all unite when throwing a banana peel to the asphalt.”
The art critic Basel Worcestshire spoke exaltingly of the piece., “A banana peel. Who among us hasn’t had a banana on a ride? Our humanity as people and as cyclists is on display here, the richness of color against the bleakness of the tarmac, symbolizes that we are mere dust specks in a universe of pavement, riding slowly, riding quickly off into the void. The duct tape, asphalt, and banana evoke the constant struggle of the cyclist with themselves, the conflict with motorists, and the eternal beauty of the road.”
Artist’s Name: Jacques Grimpeur
Title of Piece: The Cyclistien
Medium: Banana peel on asphalt with duct tape.
Artist’s Statement: A banana on the tarmac, the discarding of waste, the temporary state of being that we all experience when cycling is my message here. I hope to unite cyclists of all types – racers, fixie riders, mountain bikers, beach cruisers, scorchers, rouleurs, triathletes – with a statement about how we universally feel the dull pang of hunger and how that relates to the dull pang of existence.
Certificate of Authenticity: The art comes with a certificate of authenticity expected to far outlast the banana peel. And, it comes with instructions on how to properly toss a banana peel while riding a bike.
