“Graffiti art has a hard enough life as it is, before you add hedge-fund managers wanting to chop it out and hang it over the fireplace,” the New York Times quoted Banksy as saying in 2013. “For the sake of keeping all street art where it belongs, I’d encourage people not to buy anything by anybody, unless it was created for sale in the first place.”<doc-sep>The U.K. street artist Banksy is no stranger to provocation. But on Friday, his antagonistic streak reached beyond his painting and into its frame. At a London Sotheby’s auction of his 2006 spray-paint work “Girl With Balloon,” the artist rigged a secret shredding contraption into the base of the frame that destroyed the work via remote control. The painting had sold moments before for $1.4 million to an unidentified buyer, who purchased the painting via telephone. Banksy posted video of the event on Instagram, which showed stunned auction-goers watching as an alarm sounded before the painting slipped through the frame and shredded roughly half of the canvas into ribbons. A representative for Banksy, when reached, cited the artist’s quotation of Picasso that “the urge to destroy is also a creative urge.” A representative for Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art in Europe, said he was unavailable for comment. Advertisement The painting, which was auctioned off as part of Sotheby’s “Frieze Week” contemporary art sale, had fetched more than three times its initial estimate and set a record sale price for the artist. Banksy — whose identity still has yet to be confirmed — often incorporates political messaging, anti-capitalist ideas, and art world satire into his work. In 2013 he even set up a pop-up stand in New York’s Central Park, where original canvases of his work were sold to customers for $60 a piece, far below the large sums his work usually demands. In March 2005, he sneaked his own artworks into four of New York’s most prominent museums, including the American Museum of Natural History, where he left a beetle with missiles on its wings in the “Hall of Biodiversity.” In September 2006, Banksy installed an inflatable version of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner near the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride in Disneyland. His 2006 debut in America took place in a warehouse in downtown L.A., which featured a live elephant painted like wallpaper standing in a faux living room. His new stunt, perhaps his most tangible critique of the art market yet, has instantly become the talk of the U.K. art world. People watch as the spray-painted canvas “Girl with Balloon” by artist Banksy is shredded at Sotheby’s in London. (Pierre Koukjian via Associated Press) Advertisement An art world disrupter Artist Isaiah King, who is exhibiting at The Other Art Fair in London, said the event was abuzz with news of Banksy’s antics. “I keep waiting for him to be irrelevant, and then he goes and does something like that,” King said. “If he was a lesser artist, he would have destroyed the art’s value. But because it’s Banksy it will only be worth more now.” Dan Chrichlow, creative director of the creative management agency Dutch Uncle, had a more skeptical view. “I think the auction house knew it was going to happen. I think the whole thing was created. They check everything,” he said. “I like the fact that Banksy did it and created a whole story, which is a very Banksy thing to do. But it doesn’t feel authentic.” It’s unclear if Sotheby’s was in on the artist’s intent to destroy the work. In a statement, the auction house said it knew the elaborate gilt frame was “an integral element of the artwork chosen by Banksy himself,” but Branczik told the Associated Press that “we have not experienced this situation in the past where a painting is spontaneously shredded, upon achieving a record for the artist…. We are busily figuring out what this means in an auction context.” Advertisement I think the auction house knew it was going to happen. I think the whole thing was created. Dan Chrichlow Shepard Fairey, the popular L.A.-based street artist — most well known for his Obama “Hope” posters — said that “I do agree with the underlying sentiment of it. This is an ephemeral art form that street artists who come from the street art world understand: ‘It’s not gonna last.’ Then, ironically, there becomes a demand for it. “I think Banksy’s idea here is that an appreciation for the concept is more important than an appreciation of the object,” he added. Roger Gastman, the street-art expert and curator for MOCA’s popular 2011 “Art In The Streets” exhibition and this year’s “Beyond the Streets” show in Chinatown, said in an email that with this latest move, Banksy remains one of today’s preeminent art-market critics. “Banksy continues to amaze me. The king stays the king,” Gastman said. Advertisement Ron English, the New York-based street artist whose surreal work frequently comments on capitalism, said that Banksy’s antagonism toward his own work is like “Duchamp on steroids.” “Is the work now 10 times as valuable? Or is it worth nothing?” English asked. “He’s created this really unique situation for himself.” “Girl With Balloon,” which depicts a child reaching upward toward a heart-shaped balloon, was first stenciled on a wall in East London. It has since become one of Banksy’s most identifiable images in a career that, despite his anonymity, is meant for maximum public view. Sotheby’s said that it was discussing how to move forward with “Balloon’s” buyer, who now owns a shredded but historically significant work by one of contemporary art’s most famous figures. Advertisement I think Banksy’s idea here is that an appreciation for the concept is more important than an appreciation of the object. Shepard Fairey Becoming Banksy Banksy began his career in the Bristol graffiti scene, tagging buildings with politically trenchant pieces critiquing police violence, Western imperialism and consumer capitalism. He frequently turns to elaborate, clandestine pranks to needle the high-end gallery and museum scene which, while making him rich, has also served as foil for his satirical work. In 2005, he secretly hung on a wall at the British Museum a piece depicting a prehistoric human pushing a shopping cart. The work remained in the museum for several days before staff noticed it. In 2015, he built “Dismaland,” an entire theme park in an abandoned swimming resort, as a comment on British depression and entertainment culture in modern capitalism.<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get email updates with the day's biggest stories Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Art experts say a rare artwork by Banksy which self-destructed after it was sold for £1m could now have doubled in value. Bidders at the Sotheby's sale in London last night were left stunned when the world-famous Girl With Balloon canvas was shredded by a mechanism hidden in the frame . The piece, which was signed by the artist and acquired in 2006, had just been sold for £860,000 - with a buyer's premium bringing the price up to £1.04million. (Image: Twitter) But the artist's headline-grabbing stunt could have made its lucky buyer an extra £1million, according to one expert. Co-founder of MyArtBroker, Joey Syer, told MailOnline : "The auction result will only propel this further and given the media attention this stunt has received, the lucky buyer would see a great return on the £1.02million they paid last night. "This is now part of art history in its shredded state and we'd estimate Banksy has added at a minimum 50 per cent increase to it's value, possibly as high as being worth £2million plus." (Image: PA) After the picture was left in tatters, Banksy posted a snap on Instagram of shocked art lovers at the auction house, writing: "Going, going gone..." Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s European head of contemporary art, told a press conference: “We’ve just been Banksy’ed. “He is arguably the greatest British street artist, and tonight we saw a little piece of Banksy genius.” He added: “The shredding is now part of the integral art work. "We have not experienced this situation in the past where a painting spontaneously shredded, upon achieving a record for the artist. "We are busily figuring out what this means in an auction context.” The framed, stencil spray painting shows a girl reaching towards a heart-shaped balloon and had been the final piece sold, equalling Banksy's previous auction record. (Image: Twitter) (Image: PA) Banksy is a Bristol-born artist whose true identity - despite rampant speculation - has never been officially revealed. He came to prominence through a series of graffiti pieces that appeared on buildings across the country, marked by deeply satirical undertones. Friday's self-destruction was the latest in a long history of anti-establishment statements by the street artist. Other recent works included the opening of Dismaland, his dystopian, Disneyland-esque theme park in 2015, which he described as a "family theme park unsuitable for children". Girl With Balloon appeared on a wall in Great Eastern Street, London. The gallery version featured spray paint and acrylic on canvas, mounted on a board.<doc-sep>LONDON — Art collectors were left stunned on Friday evening when a Banksy painting appeared to self-destruct just moments after it was sold at an auction, in a prank apparently orchestrated by the elusive street artist. The spray-painted canvas "Girl With Balloon" slid through a shredder embedded in the frame, emerging out the bottom in strips as the final hammer signaled an end to the evening, according to international auction house Sotheby's. It had sold for $1.4 million, matching a record for the artist first set in 2008. Banksy posted an image of the scene from the auction house on his Instagram account with the caption "Going, going, gone..." The photo appears to have been first tweeted by an attendee at the auction who said an alarm sounded just as the frame began to shred the canvas. $1,300,000 BANKSY artwork piece just “self-destructed” right after it was sold at Sotheby’s auction!🤯 (An alarm sound went off and the frame began to shred the art piece.) pic.twitter.com/TAsrE9ptIh — Dan Fleyshman (@DanFleyshman) October 6, 2018 Banksy, who has never disclosed his full identity, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England and has become one of the world's best-known artists. Known for his controversial work, from criticizing anti-migrant attitudes to the Israel-Palestine conflict, he also has a penchant for elaborate pranks. "It appears we just got Banksy-ed," said Alex Branczik, Sotheby's senior director and head of contemporary art. "He is arguably the greatest British street artist, and tonight we saw a little piece of Banksy genius," he said immediately after the incident, according to The Art Newspaper. He added he was "not in on the ruse." "Girl With Balloon," which depicts a small child reaching up toward a heart-shaped red balloon, was originally stenciled on a wall in east London and has been endlessly reproduced, becoming one of Banksy's best-known images. It's unclear what will happen to the famous painting now that it's been turned to thin strips. Sotheby's said it was the first time in auction history that such a thing had happened. "We have not experienced this situation in the past where a painting spontaneously shredded, upon achieving a record for the artist," Branczik said. "We are busily figuring out what this means in an auction context." 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. Another Banksy painting, Happy Choppers, sold at a Sotheby's auction in New York on the same day. The unscathed work of art fetched $735,000.<doc-sep>
Anonymous British graffiti artist Banksy has pulled off another stunt that seized the attention of the art world — this time at the expense of his own work. On Friday, a Banksy painting titled "Girl with Red Balloon" was being auctioned at Sotheby's in London. The spray-painted and acrylic piece depicted a little girl extending her arm out for a heart-shaped balloon, floating far beyond reach. The bidding climbed to US$1.4 million, an amount that tied the artist's own auction record from 2008. Finally, a hammer pounded to signify the end of the auction. Right then, the painting's canvas began scrolling downward, seeming to pass through its elaborate gilded frame — and reappearing below in neat, vertical strips. Later, Sotheby's would explain that a shredder was hidden inside the frame. The crowd began murmuring as they realized what was happening: The painting was "self-destructing" before their very eyes. "It appears we just got Banksy-ed," Sotheby's senior director Alex Branczik said in a statement that described the incident as "the first time in auction history that a work of art automatically shredded itself after coming under the hammer." (As the saying goes: Fool me once ...) The incident spurred questions about how Banksy had pulled it off and whether he had been at the auction in disguise. Branczik told the Art Newspaper on Friday that he was "not in on the ruse." "We are busy figuring out what this means in an auction context," Branczik told the outlet. "The shredding is now part of the integral art work. We have not experienced a situation where a painting has spontaneously shredded, upon achieving a record for the artist." Sotheby's did not publicize who purchased the piece. Representatives for the auction house did not immediately respond to questions Saturday. Banksy on Saturday posted a video to Instagram that showed footage of a shredding mechanism being built into a frame for, presumably, "Girl with Red Balloon." "A few years ago I secretly built a shredder into a painting," he stated in the video text, "in case it was ever put up for auction ..." The video then jumped to clips of Friday's auction at Sotheby's, indicating that Banksy — or someone who works with him — was there when it happened. "The urge to destroy is also a creative urge," Banksy captioned the Instagram post. Banksy has managed to keep his real identity secret from the public for decades — often spray-painting his murals under cover of night — while building a reputation for provocative street art with subversive, anti-establishment messaging. In 2007, he painted the words "ONE NATION UNDER CCTV" on the side of a British postal service building. Another of his murals, 2012′s "Slave Labour," showed a young boy sewing Union Jack bunting, probably a jab at the then-upcoming celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee. (The nonprofit group Art Story maintains a good list of Banksy's most notable pieces.) The artist has famously criticized commercialism, once selling his canvasses through a Central Park pop-up shop for $60 apiece to unsuspecting customers, according to Forbes. "Graffiti art has a hard enough life as it is, before you add hedge-fund managers wanting to chop it out and hang it over the fireplace," the New York Times quoted Banksy as saying in 2013. "For the sake of keeping all street art where it belongs, I'd encourage people not to buy anything by anybody, unless it was created for sale in the first place." The irony, though, is that "Girl with Red Balloon" may have increased in value after its self-destruction, shredded pieces and all. Joey Syer, the co-founder of MyArtBroker.com, told the Evening Standard that the painting could have added 50 percent to its value. "The auction result will only propel this further, and given the media attention this stunt has received, the lucky buyer would see a great return on the [$1.4 million] they paid last night," Syer told the newspaper. "This is now part of art history in its shredded state." 2018 © The Washington Post This article was originally published by The Washington Post.