Artist Stuck a McDonald's Pickle on a Gallery Ceiling and Listed It for Sale for Over $6,000

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via GettyWhile a McDonald’s cheeseburger might seem like a meal to some, to one artist, it’s the inspiration for a recent work of art.Matthew Griffin debuted his work titled “Pickle” on July 7, which is made up of a pickle he plucked off of a McDonald’s cheeseburger and flung to the ceiling of an art gallery space,TODAYreported. The cheeseburger topping apparently stuck to the ceiling quite well and did not fall from its spot.The work was recently shown at Michael Lett, an art gallery in New Zealand, during its show titled “Hosting Fine Arts, Sydney,“TODAYsaid.The outlet explained that Griffin likes to use comedy as a jumping off point to discuss more serious topics. Ryan Moore, the director of Fine Arts, Sydney, which represents Griffin toldThe Guardianthat “a humorous response to the work is not invalid – it’s OK, because itisfunny.“Moore said the question of whether or not this piece is “art” is not really up to Griffin but rather those who see and react to it.“Generally speaking, artists aren’t the ones deciding whether something is art is not – they are the ones who make and do things. Whether something is valuable and meaningful as artwork is the way that we collectively, as a society choose to use it or talk about it,” he said.He continued, “As much as this looks like a pickle attached to the ceiling – and there is no artifice there, that is exactly what it is – there is something in the encounter with that as a sculpture or a sculptural gesture.“Fine Arts, Sydney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.While the show closed on July 30,TODAYnoted that the work was listed with a hefty price tag of about $10,000 Australian dollars — which equals about $6,916 in U.S. currency.TODAYsaid it’s not clear if the work sold, but if it did, the purchaser would not receive the actual pickle that was on display in the gallery but rather “instructions on how to recreate the art in their own space.“Fine Arts, Sydney shared images of the piece on theirInstagrampage and included a list of the materials used in the piece — which appears to be all the ingredients in a McDonald’s burger, from wheat flour to a beef patty and of course, pickles.

Photo: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty

While a McDonald’s cheeseburger might seem like a meal to some, to one artist, it’s the inspiration for a recent work of art.Matthew Griffin debuted his work titled “Pickle” on July 7, which is made up of a pickle he plucked off of a McDonald’s cheeseburger and flung to the ceiling of an art gallery space,TODAYreported. The cheeseburger topping apparently stuck to the ceiling quite well and did not fall from its spot.The work was recently shown at Michael Lett, an art gallery in New Zealand, during its show titled “Hosting Fine Arts, Sydney,“TODAYsaid.The outlet explained that Griffin likes to use comedy as a jumping off point to discuss more serious topics. Ryan Moore, the director of Fine Arts, Sydney, which represents Griffin toldThe Guardianthat “a humorous response to the work is not invalid – it’s OK, because itisfunny.“Moore said the question of whether or not this piece is “art” is not really up to Griffin but rather those who see and react to it.“Generally speaking, artists aren’t the ones deciding whether something is art is not – they are the ones who make and do things. Whether something is valuable and meaningful as artwork is the way that we collectively, as a society choose to use it or talk about it,” he said.He continued, “As much as this looks like a pickle attached to the ceiling – and there is no artifice there, that is exactly what it is – there is something in the encounter with that as a sculpture or a sculptural gesture.“Fine Arts, Sydney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.While the show closed on July 30,TODAYnoted that the work was listed with a hefty price tag of about $10,000 Australian dollars — which equals about $6,916 in U.S. currency.TODAYsaid it’s not clear if the work sold, but if it did, the purchaser would not receive the actual pickle that was on display in the gallery but rather “instructions on how to recreate the art in their own space.“Fine Arts, Sydney shared images of the piece on theirInstagrampage and included a list of the materials used in the piece — which appears to be all the ingredients in a McDonald’s burger, from wheat flour to a beef patty and of course, pickles.

While a McDonald’s cheeseburger might seem like a meal to some, to one artist, it’s the inspiration for a recent work of art.

Matthew Griffin debuted his work titled “Pickle” on July 7, which is made up of a pickle he plucked off of a McDonald’s cheeseburger and flung to the ceiling of an art gallery space,TODAYreported. The cheeseburger topping apparently stuck to the ceiling quite well and did not fall from its spot.

The work was recently shown at Michael Lett, an art gallery in New Zealand, during its show titled “Hosting Fine Arts, Sydney,“TODAYsaid.

The outlet explained that Griffin likes to use comedy as a jumping off point to discuss more serious topics. Ryan Moore, the director of Fine Arts, Sydney, which represents Griffin toldThe Guardianthat “a humorous response to the work is not invalid – it’s OK, because itisfunny.”

Moore said the question of whether or not this piece is “art” is not really up to Griffin but rather those who see and react to it.

“Generally speaking, artists aren’t the ones deciding whether something is art is not – they are the ones who make and do things. Whether something is valuable and meaningful as artwork is the way that we collectively, as a society choose to use it or talk about it,” he said.

He continued, “As much as this looks like a pickle attached to the ceiling – and there is no artifice there, that is exactly what it is – there is something in the encounter with that as a sculpture or a sculptural gesture.”

Fine Arts, Sydney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

While the show closed on July 30,TODAYnoted that the work was listed with a hefty price tag of about $10,000 Australian dollars — which equals about $6,916 in U.S. currency.TODAYsaid it’s not clear if the work sold, but if it did, the purchaser would not receive the actual pickle that was on display in the gallery but rather “instructions on how to recreate the art in their own space.”

Fine Arts, Sydney shared images of the piece on theirInstagrampage and included a list of the materials used in the piece — which appears to be all the ingredients in a McDonald’s burger, from wheat flour to a beef patty and of course, pickles.

source: people.com