Inspired by odd Art Basel installation, artist and former Lafayette resident goes bananas on client's Christmas tree

Remember the banana that created a stir at Art Basel in early December?

The story first made news at the Miami-based international art festival when Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan duct-taped a banana to a wall and called it art. It sold for $120,000. Days later, Georgian-American artist David Datuna peeled the decomposing banana from the wall and ate it, calling it performance art. In an Instagram post, he pronounced Cattelan's artwork "very delicious."

For abstract expressionist artist Byron Keith Byrd, the banana was very inspiring.

Photo by KJ Photography/Kelly George / Inspired by Art Basel's $120,000 banana installation, abstract expressionist artist Byron Keith Byrd has designed a Banana Christmas Tree for Florida client Kathryn Buffington. Both artist and client are originally from LaFayette, Georgia.

He has now created a custom, 9-foot Christmas tree adorned with 36 plastic bananas for Florida client and fellow LaFayette, Georgia, native Kathryn Buffington, 85. Buffington, nee Neal, has known Byrd, 63, since he was a child and he and her children played together (they have relatives in common but are not related).

"I knew that I would be doing a tree for Kathryn, and when the banana story took place, I simply could not resist making an artistic statement with the tree," Byrd recounts in an email. "I special-ordered three dozen plastic bananas from New York. They will last longer than the original version!"

Buffington, who moved to Florida 32 years ago, has benefited from Byrd's talents before. In 2017, he used more than 300 of her Danbury Mint collectible ornaments on what became known as the Peacock Tree, so named for the vivid blue, feathered peacocks and emerald green ribbon that cascaded down the front of the tree.

These "ribbon spills," as he calls them, are Byrd's signature flourish. Examples are included in one of his books, "O Christmas Tree" (1989, Rizzoli International), a high-end coffee-table book that features Christmas trees he has designed for celebrity clientele such as Georgia Armani, Harry Winston and Baccarat, among others. The artist is also known for a signature ornament collection, holiday window decor for Macy's and Bloomingdale's, and an 8-foot-tall Christmas tree he designed for the "Today" show.

Photo by KJ Photography/Kelly George / Each of the 36 plastic bananas has been tied with a colorful grosgrain ribbon and placed on the tree.

His ribbon spills are precisely placed down the front of a tree to form a visual cleft from top to bottom. At the bottom is a point of interest that grounds the design. For Buffington's Peacock Tree, it was a gift box wrapped in a coordinating bright green paper. For the Banana Tree, it's a cornucopia made from duct tape, a callback to Cattelan's creation.

Buffington, who was Miss Chattanooga 1956, says the Banana Tree may not be as inherently elegant as the Peacock Tree, but it's "kind of funny and cute and different."

Byrd's designer eye is evident throughout. He formed the ribbon spill with winter whites and silver to contrast the eclectic mix in Buffington's family ornament collection. Each banana has been tied to the tree with colorful 1/2-inch grosgrain ribbon.

"We tied ribbons on those things for a while," Buffington laughs. "The way he put them on the tree, it's very pretty. ... You'd think they'd stick out like a sore thumb, but you don't even notice they're bananas until you get closer."

Elizabeth Bryan-Jacobs of Elizabeth Bryan Studio in Miami Beach, which represents Byrd, estimates the tree's value at just over $4.3 million, an amount based on simple math.

"One banana taped to the wall with duct tape sold for $120,000," she says. "Byron's tree has 36 bananas."

Buffington says she hasn't decided how long she'll leave the "installation" up, but she's willing to help Byrd use the tree to generate attention for the rest of his portfolio.

"He gets publicity from various and sundry places," she says of the artist, who divides his time between New York City and Miami Beach. "As long as he gets publicity, I'll leave it up. I'll do that for him."

Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.

Photo by KJ Photography/Kelly George / Byron Keith Byrd created this Peacock Tree for client and friend Kathryn Buffington in 2017. It's adorned with more than 300 Danbury Mint collectible ornaments made from pressed, carved brass and plated in 24-karat gold.