A banana made the headlines on multiple news fronts recently after being sold for $5.2 million at an auction held by Sotheby’s New York. Called Comedian, the banana duct taped to a wall was the work of Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan.
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NASCAR’s best were left as clueless by the strange art piece as everyone else when the installations showed up on social media. Chase Briscoe posted the news on his X-handle with a sarcastic jibe.
He wrote, “Whoever is interested in this at auction I can do it at a fraction of the cost, you’ll be getting an amazing bargain!” RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski expressed similarly during the NASCAR Annual Awards banquet.
He joked about how he has no idea what generates interest and what doesn’t on social media during a light-hearted discussion with reporters.
He said, “We have social media projects we work on for like hours or days. You put it out there and nobody watches it. And then, you have ones you work on for like 30 seconds and people love it. I don’t know what works … You have projects you work on for days and nobody likes them. One day you’re like, ‘Hey! Here’s a banana.’ A million views.”
He went on to brainstorm ideas about what could end up generating interest on the race track. A banana duct taped to a car was one of the thoughts thrown around that he took a liking to.
Fans better not be surprised if the #6 Ford Mustang rolls into 2025 with a yellow fruit taped to its hood. Interestingly, Keselowski’s RFK Racing has one of the most engaging social media handles in the sport, which could further play to the 2012 champion’s and his team’s advantage!
The $5.2 million banana that has left the world clueless
As simple as it may sound the Comedian art installation solely consists of a banana taped to the wall with a piece of duct tape. Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun recently became the owner of it by paying a price four times higher than its quoted number.
He called it a cultural phenomenon after doing so. For his check, Sun will receive the piece with precise instructions on how it ought to be installed on his wall.
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve bought the banana🍌 !!! @SpaceX @Sothebys I am Justin Sun, and I’m excited to share that I have successfully acquired Maurizio Cattelan’s iconic work, Comedian for $6.2 million. This is not just an artwork; it represents a cultural phenomenon… pic.twitter.com/lAj1RE6y0C
— H.E. Justin Sun 🍌 (@justinsuntron) November 21, 2024
He will also be educated about how the banana should be replaced. Not surprisingly, these details spread throughout social media like wildfire and are what prompted the racing stars to react.
With Briscoe moving to Joe Gibbs Racing and Keselowski bringing in Ryan Preece as a third driver for his team, both drivers will be ideating ways to penetrate this tricky web of social media marketing, just as Comedian has splendidly done.
