Push Admin

Man who ate $120,000 banana at art show says 'I'm not sorry'

Article (news)

Angela Moore, Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/reuters/12/10/banana.jpg"/><figcaption>David Datuna eats a banana that was attached with duct tape to a wall, which was an artwork titled &#x27;Comedian&#x27; by the artist Maurizio Cattelan, in front of a crowd at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida, US, December 7, 2019, in this still image from video obtained via social media. Ronn Torossian via Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>NEW YORK - A performance artist who ate a banana taped to a wall that was an artwork valued at $120,000 said his actions were not vandalism and he does not regret his snack at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida.&quot;I decided in the morning. But I was not too hungry. So I spent another two hours to the Basel and I eat it,&quot; performance artist David Datuna, who was born in Georgia, the former Soviet republic, told reporters in New York on Monday.Artist Maurizio Cattelan&#x27;s piece - a banana duct-taped to a wall and called &quot;Comedian&quot; - sold for $120,000.Datuna joined the crowd taking selfies with the banana on Saturday and then pulled off the tape and ate the banana in a video widely shared on social media.&quot;First of all, I very respect this artist. For me, he is one of the top artists in the world,&quot; Datuna said. &quot;And I think this is the first one in art history when one artist eat concept for another artist. People ask me, you eat banana? Physically is was banana, but banana is just a tool. So usually I eat the concept of the art.&quot;He added that the artwork tasted good.&quot;So it&#x27;s not like, again, vandalism. It was art performance from me. And absolutely, I&#x27;m not sorry,&quot; he said. &quot;I call performance &#x27;Hungry Artist&#x27;. Yeah, because I was hungry and I just eat it.&quot;Representatives of Art Basel were not immediately available to comment. The identity of the buyer was never disclosed by the gallery.Cattelan previously created an 18-carat gold toilet that New York&#x27;s Guggenheim Museum offered to lend to US President Donald Trump in 2018. The $5 million toilet was stolen from Britain&#x27;s Blenheim Palace in September.

A performance artist who ate a banana taped to a wall that was an artwork valued at $120,000 said his actions were not vandalism and he does not regret his snack at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida.

A performance artist who ate a banana taped to a wall that was an artwork valued at $120,000 said his actions were not vandalism and he does not regret his snack at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida.

Man who ate $120,000 banana at art show says 'I'm not sorry'

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Lifestyle

Man who ate $120,000 banana at art show says 'I'm not sorry'

Angela Moore,

Reuters

Published Dec 10, 2019 09:31 AM PHT

Read More:

Art Basel

Florida

banana

art

artwork

David Datuna

performance artist

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.