Man Who Ate $120,000 Art Installation Was Making Art Of His Own

After one infamous artist created a piece that consisted merely of a banana duct-taped to a blank wall and priced at $120,000, much of the public responded in confusion and outrage. But when David Datuna heard the news, he was invigorated -- and hungry.

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan recently showed his piece, called "Comedian," at Art Basel Miami Beach, where the installation had received quite a buzz from the general public. Cattelan, who is also known for creating an 18-carat gold toilet -- entitled "America" -- that sold for $6 million. This time, his art is reasonably priced in comparison. But although the interior design industry generates $10 billion in revenues every year, not many people could conceivably afford to spend $120,000 on a piece of fruit and a strip of tape. Still, at least two other editions of the piece have already sold. And although Galerie Perrotin, where those editions were sold, told CNN that the banana is symbolic of "global trade a double entendre," Cattelan insists that there's no symbolism involved -- and that the banana is just a banana.

Despite the fact that one of the pieces was housed in a gallery (wherein any stored artwork would likely be kept within the optimal temperature range of 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit), it became clear that it wasn't quite as protected as it needed to be. Performance artist David Datuna, an admirer of Cattelan's, decided to go to the gallery and make some art of his own. In a video of the piece (dubbed "Hungry Artist") that's since gone viral, Datuna can be seen removing the banana from the wall, peeling it, and eating it in front of a stunned crowd.

When asked whether Datuna had planned this as a PR stunt or whether the act could be considered vandalism, Datuna answered in the negative. Since the banana is replaced every few days as part of the artist's instructions, Datuna noted that he was eating the "concept," rather than the piece of art itself. He gave careful thought to his piece, just as Cattelan did, and he's far from apologetic. Datuna speaks of Cattelan with great reverence, telling NBC News that he respects the "genius" artist greatly because he "makes fun of everything."

Still, not everyone was so lighthearted about the performance piece. Many gallery-goers responded in anger, while the gallery and local police officers took Datuna's information following the incident. Although Datuna insisted he wasn't afraid of going to jail, a spokesperson for Cattelan has said that the artist won't seek any civil or criminal action against Datuna.

Ultimately, the entire incident illustrates pure absurdity. Since you can buy a single banana for less than a dollar at your local supermarket, most Americans might dismiss the idea of buying one of Cattelan's pieces for themselves. If you want to redecorate in an inexpensive way, you might consider using pieces made from reaction injection molding or print reproductions instead of an item that costs as much as some houses. But even though the price of this art might be out of reach, at least you might be able to appreciate the humor in the situation. After all, that's free of charge -- and maybe even more ap-pealing.