A banana taped to a wall at a Miami art fair has a price tag of US$120,000 (NZ $183,396), after a previous version of the artwork sold for even more money.
According to the New York Post, previous versions of the piece called 'Comedian' by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan have sold for up to US$150,000 (NZ$229, 245).
An article on artnet.com reports the piece of fruit was purchased from a local supermarket. Cattelan has not left any instructions on what to do when the banana rots, but gallery owner Emmanuel Perrotin expects to throw the current one out and replace it with another banana by the end of the week unless sold.
The website bills Cattelan as "somewhat of a prankster," however Perrotin dismisses the idea the artwork is a joke, saying it's drawn huge crowds.
"It's a miracle; I don't know how this happened!" Perrotin said.
Cattelan told Art Net he had previously made the work in both bronze and resin, but felt something was lacking. "In the end, one day I woke up and I said 'the banana is supposed to be a banana," he said.
The work has drawn a mixed response on social media. Some commenters claimed "art is dead," dubbing the work "the most absurd pile of shit I've ever seen".
Others have credited Cattelan's idea, writing: "I'm not mad at the artist, more power to him if he can get someone to pay that kind of money for a banana".
