Banana with sellotape: ‘Work of art’ up for Ksh.12M

A duct-taped banana is now on sale for a whooping $120,000 (Ksh. 12.2million) at a Miami art show.

The banana with sellotape was on sale at the Art Basel at the Miami Beach in Florida.

”According to art market website Artnet, two of the three editions have already sold, with the last now going for $150,000 (Ksh.15million),” CNN reported.

It is the brainchild of Maurizio Cattelan, famous for his golden toilet sculpture titled ‘America’ valued at $6million (Ksh.611million) that was stolen from the Bleinheim palace in England.

The bound banana entitled ‘Comedian’ was first presented by Perrotin, an art gallery in Paris, France in what the gallery says is the first work of Catellan to be presented at an art fair in 15 years.

Emmanuel Perrotin, founder of the gallery described bananas as a ”a symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor.”

According to the founder of the museum, the artist has a penchant for making a statement out of the most ‘mundane objects’ such as the highly apprised golden toilet.

Catellan originally thought of building a banana-like sculpture and had actually built sculptures out of resin, bronze and painted bronze.

He however settled for the duct-taped banana bought from a grocery store in Miami.