120,000-dollar banana eaten in 'art performance'
dpa
LOS ANGELES (dpa)- An art piece consisting of banana duct taped to a wall that recently sold for 120,000 dollars was eaten on Saturday at the Art Basel Miami show.
Performance artist David Datuna shared a video of the stunt dubbed the "Hungry Artist," on Instagram in which he walks up to the banana, takes it off the wall and proceeds to stuff his face with it while surrounded by a group of astonished onlookers.
"I love Maurizio Cattelan artwork and I really love this installation. It's very delicious," Datuna wrote in the post.
The banana in question was part of an art installation by Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian artist best known for creating a gold toilet that was famously stolen while on display in London.
On Friday, the art gallery Perrotin sold three editions of the banana installation for at least 120,000 dollars, stirring buzz and controversy in the art world.
"He did not destroy the art work. The banana is the idea," Lucien Terras, the director of museum relations for Perrotin told the Miami Herald.
According to Terras, the buyers purchased a certificate of authenticity, which gives them ownership over the idea, while the bananas are meant to be replaced.
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