Secretive artist Banksy has revealed how he remotely destroyed his own artwork after it was sold at a London auction on Friday. The auction of Banksy's 'Girl with a Balloon' was the climax of Sotheby's Friday evening (local time) sale, pulling in over NZ$2.1 million. But just moments after it was sold, an alarm built into the painting went off and it self-destructed. The frame, which was also made by Banksy, contained a shredder which began cutting the art into strips as patrons looked around in both awe and confusion. On Instagram, the artist released footage showing him building the shredder into the frame. "A few years ago I secretly built a shredder into a painting in case it was ever put up for auction," he wrote in the video. Banksy captioned the video with the Picasso quote, "the urge to destroy is also a creative urge". Some at the auction have speculated the elusive artist, who reportedly hates the art world, may have been in the room ready to push the button. Sotheby's head of contemporary art for Europe, Alex Branczik, said he was not in on the ruse. Newshub.<doc-sep>BANKSY has revealed how he caused his most famous painting to shred itself just seconds after it was sold for £1million. Buyers at the Sotheby’s London auction house were left stunned when his Girl with Balloon piece started to self-destruct on Friday night. 6 Footage showed Banksy building the frame It sold for a staggering £1,042,000 but it was left hanging in strips when it went through the device which had been placed inside the frame. Banksy has now revealed he placed a shredder inside the frame and uploaded footage of him building it to his Instagram page, and wrote: “The urge to destroy is also a creative urge - Picasso. The footage, which has been viewed more than 5million times, shows the device being installed inside the frame before being covered up. He wrote: "A few years ago I secretly built a shredder into a painting in case it was ever put up for auction." 6 Banksy has now revealed how he put the shredder in the frame 6 People were stunned when they saw the piece start to shred at the auction It then shows the moment the iconic piece was sold – and then seconds later coming out in pieces. 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 of £1.04 million. Many in the crowd weren't sure if the painting would be worthless after seemingly being destroyed but an art broker believes its value has now gone up. Joey Syer, co-founder of the website MyArtBroker.com that resells Banksy pieces, said: "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 £1.02m they paid last night. 6 The video shows the blades which were inside the frame 6 The famous piece of artwork had just sold for over £1million Credit: PA:Press Association "This is now part of art history in its shredded state and we’d estimate Banksy has added at a minimum 50% to its value, possibly as high as being worth £2m plus." Posting a picture of the moment on Instagram, Banksy wrote: "Going, going, gone..." Alex Branczik, Sotheby's senior director and head of contemporary art in Europe, said: "It appears we just got Banksy-ed." Banksy is a Bristol-born artist whose true identity - despite rampant speculation - has never been officially revealed. Video may reveal the true identity of Banksy as Girl With Balloon painting gets shredded 6 The artwork is one of Banksy's most well-known pieces Credit: PA:Press Association 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. MAN BEHIND THE MASK Who is Banksy ? Rumours have long circulated about the true identity of street artist Banksy. A number of people claim to have spotted him at work but no sighting has ever been officially confirmed while other clues have been used to try and unmask the legend. Robin Gunningham was an early candidate to be "revealed" as the man behind Banksy in 2008. Years later researchers at Queen Mary University of London used "geographic profiling" to match the locations of Banksy paintings to a pub, playing fields and residential addresses with links to Gunningham. Representatives for the artist have denied the theory. was an early candidate to be "revealed" as the man behind Banksy in 2008. Years later researchers at Queen Mary University of London used "geographic profiling" to match the locations of Banksy paintings to a pub, playing fields and residential addresses with links to Gunningham. Representatives for the artist have denied the theory. Robert Del Naja was touted as the anonymous artist in 2017 when Bristol DJ Goldie appeared to name the Massive Attack member, a personal friend, in an interview. He said: "No disrespect to Rob, I think he is a brilliant artist. I think he has flipped the world of art over." was touted as the anonymous artist in 2017 when Bristol DJ Goldie appeared to name the Massive Attack member, a personal friend, in an interview. He said: "No disrespect to Rob, I think he is a brilliant artist. I think he has flipped the world of art over." Liverpool pub sighting - A photo showing a man wearing a high-vis jacket appearing to start work on a painting of a giant white rat on the White Horse pub in Liverpool in 2004 sparked speculation Banksy had finally been unmasked. - A photo showing a man wearing a high-vis jacket appearing to start work on a painting of a giant white rat on the White Horse pub in Liverpool in 2004 sparked speculation Banksy had finally been unmasked. Bethlehem pictures - William Kasper, from London, believed he had unmasked the graffiti king with pictures captured in 2007. Members of the public later identified the painter as James Ame - also known as aka AM72 - a UK painter who lives in Israel. - William Kasper, from London, believed he had unmasked the graffiti king with pictures captured in 2007. Members of the public later identified the painter as James Ame - also known as aka AM72 - a UK painter who lives in Israel. Bristol video footage - Grainy 47-second clip shows a man in a hoodie and a painter's face mask using stencils and cardboard to spray fresh graffiti in an underpass in Bansky's native Bristol in 2010. - Grainy 47-second clip shows a man in a hoodie and a painter's face mask using stencils and cardboard to spray fresh graffiti in an underpass in Bansky's native Bristol in 2010. Dismaland sighting - In 2015, fans were convinced they spotted a man who they thought might look like Banksy outside his Dismaland installation in Weston-super-Mare. But to their disappointment, it was later revealed to be a parking attendant from the local council. MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' 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>Banksy has played what could be one of the most audacious stunts in art history, arranging for one of his best-known works to self-destruct after being sold at auction for just over £1m. Girl With Balloon was the final item in an auction at Sotheby’s in London on Friday night and its sale price equalled the artist’s previous auction record of £1.04m. Shortly after the hammer came down on the item, however, the canvas began to pass through a shredder installed in the frame. Banksy posted an image on Instagram of the shredded work dangling from the bottom of the frame with the title “Going, going, gone … ” Allow Instagram content? This article includes content provided by Instagram . We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Allow and continue “It appears we just got Banksy-ed,” said Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s senior director and head of contemporary art in Europe. Sotheby’s said in a statement to the Financial Times: “We have talked with the successful purchaser who was surprised by the story. We are in discussion about next steps.” The auction house declined to reveal the identity of the buyer. On Saturday evening, Banksy posted a video on his Instagram page which showed a shredder being fitted to the frame of the painting. It opened with the caption: “A few years ago, I secretly built a shredder into a painting.” The clip shows a hooded figure putting the finishing touches on the device, before text appears on the screen saying: “In case it was ever put up for auction.” Allow Instagram content? This article includes content provided by Instagram . We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Allow and continue The website MyArtBroker.com, which resells Banksy pieces, said Girl with Balloon had enjoyed annual increases in value of about 20% in recent years. “Prices now are regularly exceeding £115,000 for signed authenticated prints,” said its co-founder Joey Syer. “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 £1.02m 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% to its value, possibly as high as being worth £2m plus.” Girl With Balloon, which was last year voted the UK’s best-loved work of art, first appeared on a wall in Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch, east London. The 2006 gallery version featured spray paint and acrylic on canvas, mounted on a board. The true identity of the Bristol-born artist has never been officially revealed despite wide speculation. He rose to fame with graffiti that appeared on buildings across the UK, often marked by deeply satirical undertones. Two new artworks appeared at the Barbican Centre in central London in September 2017 inspired by an upcoming Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition. A woman passes one of the Banksy murals near the Barbican Centre. Photograph: David Mirzoeff/PA Announcing the new artworks in a series of Instagram posts, the artist said: “Major new Basquiat show opens at the Barbican – a place that is normally very keen to clean any graffiti from its walls.” The work has since been protected by perspex panes. One of Banksy’s more elaborate jokes came just over three years ago when he opened Dismaland, a “family theme park unsuitable for small children”, on the seafront at Weston-super-Mare. People visit Dismaland. Photograph: Natasha Quarmby/Rex/Shutterstock The Guardian described it at the time as “sometimes hilarious, sometimes eye-opening and occasionally breathtakingly shocking”.<doc-sep>
BANKSY has revealed how he caused his most famous painting to shred itself just seconds after it was sold for £1 million. According to The Sun, buyers at the Sotheby’s London auction house were left stunned when his Girl with Balloon piece started to self-destruct on Friday night. It sold for a staggering £1,042,000 ($A1,936,000) but it was left hanging in strips when it went through the device which had been placed inside the picture frame. Banksy has now revealed that he placed a shredder inside the frame and uploaded footage of him building it to his Instagram page, and wrote: “The urge to destroy is also a creative urge” — Picasso. The footage, which has been viewed more than 5 million times, shows the device being installed inside the frame before being covered up. He wrote: “A few years ago I secretly built a shredder into a painting in case it was ever put up for auction.” It then shows the moment the iconic piece was sold — and then seconds later coming out in pieces. The framed, stencil spray painting shows a girl reaching towards a heart-shaped balloon and many in the crowd weren’t sure if the painting would be worthless after seemingly being destroyed but an art broker believes its value has now gone up. Joey Syer, co-founder of the website MyArtBroker.com that resells Banksy pieces, said: “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 £1.02m 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 to its value, possibly as high as being worth £2m ($A3,719,350) plus.” Posting a picture of the moment on Instagram, Banksy wrote: “Going, going, gone …” Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s senior director and head of contemporary art in Europe, said: “It appears we just got Banksy-ed.” 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. The story first appeared in The Sun and is republished with permission.