Whoever won the bid on this pricey painting by street artist Banksy will have to take it home in pieces.
In a kind of trademark anti-capitalist prank, one of the iconic Girl with Balloon paintings “self-destructed” after being auctioned off at Sotheby’s for $1.4 million.
The room was reportedly shocked as the painting began to fall through the bottom of the frame after the gavel was hit, shredding the artwork into ribbons. Sotheby’s confirmed the incident, saying that the art world was caught by surprise.
The frame apparently had a built-in shredder.
Banksy posted about the incident on Instagram with a photo of the end result, simply saying, “going, going, gone.”
It’s unclear if the artist was present at the auction at the time, or who was in on it, if anyone.
According to The Art Newspaper, the auction house’s head of contemporary art said that he was “not in on the ruse.”
“It appears we just got Banksy-ed,” Branczik said after the painting was reduced to shreds. “He is arguably the greatest British street artist, and tonight we saw a little piece of Banksy genius.”
The prank has many people impressed, but many more people are wondering if a refund will be given to whoever bought the now shredded art.
The shredding is now part of the integral artwork, added Branczik.
“You could argue that the work is now more valuable,” Branczik said. “It’s certainly the first piece to be spontaneously shredded as an auction ends.”
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