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A banana duct-taped to the wall became art worth $120,000. This man just ate it

A banana duct-taped to the wall became art worth $120,000. This man just ate it

A performance artist shook up the crowd when he grabbed a banana that had been duct-taped to a gallery wall and ate it.
Updated 09 Dec, 2019

The move was bananas... or maybe the work was just too appealing.

A performance artist shook up the crowd at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach on Saturday when he grabbed a banana that had been duct-taped to a gallery wall and ate it.

The banana was, in fact, a work of art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan titled "Comedian" and sold to a French collector for $120,000.

In a video posted on his Instagram account, David Datuna, who describes himself as a Georgian-born American artist living in New York, walks up to the banana and pulls it off the wall with the duct tape attached.

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on

"Art performance ... hungry artist," he said, as he peeled the fruit and took a bite. "Thank you, very good."

A few bystanders could be heard giggling before a flustered gallery official whisked him to an adjoining space for questioning.

But the kerfuffle was resolved without a food fight.

"He did not destroy the art work. The banana is the idea," Lucien Terras, director of museum relations for Galerie Perrotin, told the Miami Herald.

As it turns out, the value of the work is in the certificate of authenticity, the newspaper reported. The banana is meant to be replaced.

A replacement banana was taped to the wall about 15 minutes after Datuna's stunt.

"This has brought a lot of tension and attention to the booth and we're not into spectacles," Terras said. "But the response has been great. It brings a smile to a lot of people's faces."

Gallery director Peggy Leboeuf said that no legal action was planned against Datuna.

"He was not arrested, but we asked him to leave the booth and to leave the fair," she said.

"We have his contact and everything, so we can go further, but I don't think we will."

Cattelan is perhaps best known for his 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called "America" that he had once offered on loan to US President Donald Trump.

The toilet, valued at around $5 to $6 million, was in the news again in September when it was stolen from Britain's Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of wartime leader Winston Churchill, where it had been on display.

Comments

Dr. Doctor Dec 08, 2019 08:12pm
A nice smack on the faces of the ones who want to ignore the realities of life and put their minds to slumber by labeling things as art.
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Dr Vikas Jamwal Dec 08, 2019 08:23pm
This is not an art but a teaser for the millions hungry people around the world and by eating it, he just put an end to this stupid costly affair. Very well done.
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Ravi Dec 09, 2019 08:29am
Wonder who is that French dude to buy this artwork (really?) for 120K?
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sixes Dec 09, 2019 08:40am
I look forward to tape a Pakistani mango on a gallery wall to amuse people.
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Babu Dec 09, 2019 12:09pm
Drama
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Reality Bites Dec 09, 2019 01:33pm
There is no shortage of silly people, especially in the artsy world. I wish people had spent all that money eradicating poverty.
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Tahir Kayani Dec 09, 2019 02:57pm
This event is a slap on so called humanity. The poor are abused for the pleasure of rich.
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