McDonald's pickle selling for shocking $10k in Auckland art gallery

The piece titled Pickle, by Australian artist Matthew Griffin, has had a mixed reaction from social media. Photo / Getty Images

Art lovers have been left scratching their head over an exhibition piece with a $10,000 price tag that features a McDonald's pickle.

The artwork is in Auckland's Michael Lett Gallery, with three other pieces from Fine Arts, Sydney.

The piece titled Pickle, by Australian artist Matthew Griffin, has had a mixed reaction from social media.

It features a single McDonald's pickle on a white ceiling and will be shown until July 30.

One social media user said: "I got kicked out of a McDonald's by the police for doing this when I was a teenager, now it's art."

Another person said: "Part of a rich late-night tradition."

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Another echoed an earlier sentiment and said: "Oh so it's 'art' when you do it but I get asked to leave the restaurant'."

But many praised the artist for his brilliant work with one simply calling it "superb" and another saying "love it".

One commenter added: "I'm siding with the genius crowd on this. Genius."

Another added: "I hate pickles. I love this."

Fine Arts Sydney director Ryan Moore told news.com.au: "People don't have to think it's art if they don't want to. Anything can be an artwork, but not everything is.

"That's often part of the point. Meaning and value are things that we as humans create together – in art or any other part of life.

"What makes an artwork is when whatever an artist makes or does is able to be used as art: when the object or action is thought about or talked about as an artwork.

"And that's what we are doing here, which I think is great."

The lucky owner who pays the four-figure price tag will also have to pay an additional fee for a cheeseburger.

With that burger, the owner will be given instructions on how to recreate the piece in their own space.

Other pieces in the exhibition include Prudence Flint's Banana,

The artwork consists of a graphite pencil on paper sketch of a woman eating a banana while sitting on a bench.

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