Going Bananas For Dole-N-Chiquita Art

Despite Adam and Eve taking the liberty of eating forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, when horticulturists examine records of the earliest fruit known to mankind, they are inclined to believe that bananas earned that distinction.  

Imagine that -- America's favorite fruit! Each year, over 28 pounds of bananas are consumed by each person in this country, so we clearly have a thing for potassium or we really just dig the tropical goodness.

In either case, we eat them au naturale, incorporate them into recipes, create homemade beauty treatments with them, use the skins to polish shoes and dust the leaves of houseplants...and apparently we create art with them, too.

Thanks to the enterprising peeps over at YesButNoButYes and a little of my own Google image surfing, I am presenting to you the most intriguing selection of whole banana art in existence.

First, I would be remiss if I didn't launch this art-banana-thon with Saxton Freymann's sculpturally fruity work.

The longtime "produce artist" and partner to storybook author Joost Elffers has been responsible for infusing life to an extensive series of great children's books, including "How Are You Peeling?" 

I bet you never realized that a banana skin could be transformed into such a dazzling puff-paint tribal tattoo?

Hmmm, somehow, these status symbols just don't really convert well on a 'nana skin canvas.

Frankenstein never looked as good as he does here. Love the neck push-pin-bolts.

Bringing new meaning to the notion of "going ape" for your craft.

Are these guys part of a bananashop quartet (er, trio)?

Arrrrrr, matey...fancy a walk down the plank?

Heyyyyy -- a toucan banana hand!!!