An artist has sold a banana duct-taped to a wall for $120,000 (£91,000). Does anyone else feel like they're in the wrong job?
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, who you might remember for the solid gold toilet he fitted at Blenheim Palace, created the installation and displayed it at Art Basel Miami Beach exhibition this week.
Sources from the exhibition told Sky News two editions of the piece - which he has called 'Comedy' - sold for around $120,000 (£91,000) and a third edition is now on sale for the slightly raised price of $150,000 (£114,000).
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For a banana duct-taped to a wall.
A. Banana. Duct-taped. To. A. Wall.
The lucky buyers also got a certificate of authenticity to go with their fancy new artwork.
Oh, and in case you're wondering what they're supposed to do when the banana goes a bit brown and yukky, they can simply replace it with a fresh one - the Miami Herald reports.
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A spokesperson for Art Basel Miami Beach told Sky News: "After a 15-year hiatus, Maurizio has returned to the international art fair, and we are so fortunate to collaborate with him.
"The banana is many things - a symbol of global trade, a witty double entendre, and a classic device for humour.
"Maurizio takes mundane objects and transforms them into vehicles of both delight and critique."
The artwork has been hailed 'the talk of the town' by one journalist in-the-know. Well, yeah, I'll bet it bloody is - and I bet the 'talk' comes from people rendered incredulous that a banana taped to a wall cost tens of thousands of dollars.
According to reports, Cattelan found the bananas he used from a Miami supermarket and is now hoping to sell the third and final edition to a museum. Two are already interested, apparently.
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Emmanuel Perrotin, who owns the gallery, says the artwork is no joke and told the Artnet that the every aspect of the piece was very carefully considered by Cattelan. So that's philistines like me well and truly told...
The artist told Artnet he had spent around a year working on the piece and that he has created versions of it in resin and bronze.
He said: "Wherever I was travelling I had this banana on the wall. I couldn't figure out how to finish it.
"In the end, one day I woke up and I said, 'The banana is supposed to be a banana.'" Indeed.
Featured Image Credit: PA