News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A brazen performance artist has sparked outrage after eating a banana that was part of $120,000 art piece that was duct-taped to a wall.

New York-based artist David Datuna, 45, teared the duct tape off and took the ripe banana off the wall at Art Basel exhibition in Miami.

His bizarre stunt continued as he peeled off the banana skin and devoured it in a few bites.

David, who called himself the 'Hungry Artist', said he respects Maurizio Cattelan, who created the artwork, and hoped his performance would be seen as a compliment, reported TMZ.

(Image: Instagram/david_datuna)

The artwork, known as The Comedian, was sold earlier this week by a French art collector for $120,000 (£91,000).

Lucien Terras, spokesman for the Perrotin Gallery, told the Miami Herald that Datuna did not 'destroy' the artwork because 'the banana is the idea'.

Gallery founder Emmanuel Perrotin said Maurizio's work is about how objects move through the world.

He told CBS News : "Whether affixed to the wall of an art fair booth or displayed on the cover of the New York Post, his work forces us to question how value is placed on material goods.

"The spectacle is as much a part of the work as the banana."

He added that a borrowed replacement banana was re-attached to the wall.

The artist told Artnet he had been working on the idea for about a year and first created versions in bronze and resin.

Maurizio 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'."

'The Comedian' was sold with a certificate of authenticity and owners can replace the banana as needed.

Maurizio previously created a solid 18-karat gold toilet, which was stolen from Blenheim Palace earlier this year.