A banana duct-taped to a white wall went on sale Wednesday for $120,000 at an art gallery in Miami Beach, Florida.
The work, titled “Comedian” by artist Maurizio Cattelan, was presented this week at Art Basel Miami Beach and has since sold two editions, the last going for a reported $150,000, according to CNN Style.
Wednesday, sports reporter Will Manso shared a photo of the art installation to his Twitter account.
The bananas are a “symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor,” said gallery founder, Emmanuel Perrotin, adding that Cattelan turns everyday objects into “vehicles of both delight and critique.”
In a recent press release, Perrotin said one year ago, the artist had in a mind a sculpture that was shaped like the yellow fruit.
“Every time he traveled, 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 (before) finally coming back to the initial idea of a real banana,” he concluded.
However, the gallery offered collectors no instructions on what to do when their bananas begin to decay, according to the Art Newspaper.
“If the banana moulds, a decision on that will be made on site,” the gallery said.
In September, Cattelan’s 18-karat gold toilet artwork titled America (2016), was reportedly stolen while on display at Blenheim Palace in London, England, according to ARTnews.
“We hope against hope that we can recover this precious work of art. It is deeply ironic that a work of art portraying the American Dream and the idea of an elite object made available to all should be almost instantly snatched away and hidden from view,” said CEO of Blenheim Palace, Dominic Hare.
“We hope that the wonderful work of our dear friend Maurizio Cattelan becomes immortalized by this stupid and pointless act,” he concluded.
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