Moments after a famous Banksy painting was sold for more than $1.7 million during a live auction, the piece was shredded from inside its frame.
The anonymous street artistās 2006 work āGirl with a Balloonā was the final piece sold at Fridayās evening auction at Sothebyās in London.
Just after it was sold for 1.04 million pounds, an alarm was triggered from within the frame and guests watched stunned as the canvas artwork slipped through the frame and shredded into strips. The auction house has denied having any prior knowledge of the stunt.
Elizabeth Legge, an associate professor in the University of Torontoās art department, offered one explanation for the elusive artistās surprise.
āHeās often said he doesnāt want hedge fund managers owning his work,ā Legge explained. āHe doesnāt like the commercial art market.ā
of attendees watching the print shred itself with the caption āGoing, going, goneā¦ā
how the artist installed the shredder into the frame.
āA few years ago I secretly built a shredder into a painting in case it was ever put up for auction,ā accompanying text on the video stated.
Banksy also included a quote from the artist Picasso in the Instagram postās caption. āThe urge to destroy is also a creative urge,ā it read.
Alex Branczik, the auction houseās head of European contemporary art, said after the stunt, āIt appears we just got Banksy-ed.ā
Whatās next for the buyer?
He went on to tell The Associated Press that the auction house was in discussions about "next steps" with the buyer.
"We have not experienced this situation in the past where a painting spontaneously shredded, upon achieving a record for the artist," he said. "We are busily figuring out what this means in an auction context."
āYou could argue that the work is now more valuable,ā Branczik added in an interview with The Art Newspaper. āItās certainly the first piece to be spontaneously shredded as an auction ends.ā
Adding to the intrigue, a man wearing sunglasses tangled with security guards near the entrance of the auction house,
Anny Shaw, a correspondent with The Art Newspaper, told Ā鶹“«Ć½ that those present were āgob smacked at what was unfoldingā
āHeās a provocateur,ā she added. āHe certainly got the publicity he would have been after. Heās a clever man.ā
Was Banksy there?
Geneva-based artist Pierre Koukjian was at the auction. Koukjian, who has met Banksy, told The Associated press that he believes he saw the artist in the saleroom as the painting was destroyed.
"What he did is really shocking, in a good way," Koukjian said. "I think it will be historic and people will talk for a long time about it."
With files from The Associated Press
