A $120,000 banana taped to a wall and sold at a Miami art gallery was eaten before being replaced.

Performance artist David Datuna munched on the banana in front of a local convention center, a gallery representative said.

"He did not destroy the art work," Lucien Terras, the director of museum relations, told the Miami Herald on Saturday. "The banana is the idea."

The artwork made by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan comes with a certificate of authenticity, and the artwork is built so the banana can be replaced. The title of the piece is Comedian. The art was displayed at Perrotin, a contemporary art gallery.

"This has brought a lot of tension and attention to the booth, and we’re not into spectacles," Terras said. "But the response has been great. It brings a smile to a lot of people's faces."

He claimed the "banana has been more photographed than the Mona Lisa." Datuna was not arrested for eating the original banana.