Banksy Girl with Balloon/Love Is In The Bin
- When Piece was Created: 2002
- Size: 142X78X18 cm
- Price at Auction: $25 Million
- Where Sold: Sotheby’s London
- When Sold: 2021
- To WHOM: private investor, represented by Nick Buckley Wood
In 2018, during the Sotheby’s auction, after the announcement of the sale of “Girl with a Balloon”, with the last blow of the auctioneer’s hammer, the shredder built into the frame cut the painting into small strips.
As it turned out, a shredder was built into the frame of the picture. It is believed that he was supposed to cut the picture completely, but something broke in his mechanism and stopped at half of the canvas.
The shredder was controlled remotely, it was probably turned on by one of the people present in the room.Sotheby’s director of contemporary art, Alex Branzik, said the shredder trick “didn’t so much destroy a work of art as it created a new one.”
The new owner did not give up on the painting, changed the name to “Love in the Dump” and, despite its appearance, put it up for sale again in 2021 (estimated price was from 6 million).
The picture was sold for a record 25 million u.e.Why did Banksy do this anyway?
This is also not known for sure. Most likely — to once again criticize the capitalist nature of the art market and mock auctions and exorbitant prices for works of art (in particular, his own).
The artist repeatedly organized promotions to emphasize the availability and cheapness of his works.
