As surprising as it may sound, a work by the elusive street artist Banksy apparently self-destructed in front of startled auction-goers on Friday. The incident took place moments after the painting named “Girl with Balloon” was sold at Sotheby’s for 1,042,000 pounds (USD 1.4 million, 1.2 million euros) — a joint record for the maverick artist. As soon as the painting was sold, an alarm sounded and it ran through a shredder embedded in the frame, emerging from the bottom in strips.
“It appears we just got Banksy-ed,” said Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art for Europe, in a press release accompanied by a photo of the bizarre episode. “The unexpected incident became instant art world folklore and certainly marks the first time in auction history that a work of art automatically shredded itself after coming under the hammer,” the auctioneers added in the statement.
The British artist later posted a video on his Instagram account, explaining that he had put the shredder inside the painting a few years ago. He also shared the moment from the auction that had left the onlookers shocked.
Here is the video shared by Banksy –
The footage has led to speculations that the artist was present at the spot when the incident took place. The auction house said it was ‘in discussion about next steps’ with the buyer. Some art-market watchers have suggested the work could be worth even more in its shredded state.
Banksy, a mysterious artist from Bristol, southwest England, has never confirmed his real identity. He rose to fame by painting clandestine street murals, typically simple graffiti stencils with a sharp political point, all over the world.
Banksy isn’t the first artist in the world to deconstruct his own work. During the second World War, German-born artist Gustav Metzger pioneered ‘auto-destructive art’, creating paintings using acid that ate away the fabric beneath.