The $1.4m artwork that shredded itself – The Wall Street Journal

DUBLIN — Say what you will about anonymous artist Banksy, the chap has a sense of humour. After selling for a cool £1m, one of his paintings shredded itself. You can watch the whole thing on his Instagram feed– it's worthwhile just for the expressions on everyone's faces as the gavel comes down and the shredder starts up. – Felicity Duncan.'Going, Going, Gone…': Banksy Artwork Shreds Itself After Sale.By Michael Wright.(The Wall Street Journal) LONDON — Banksy, the anonymous British street artist famous for his eye-catching political spoofs, has pulled a £1 million prank on a buyer of one of his own works..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.The framed "Girl With Balloon," a stencil-spray-painted piece from 2006, was auctioned at Sotheby's in central London. Moments after it was sold to an unnamed buyer for £1.04 million ($1.4 million), the canvas passed through a shredder that appeared to be hidden inside the frame, emerging underneath in thin strips.."It appears we just got Banksy-ed," said Alex Branczik, a Sotheby's senior director..A post on Banksy's Instagram account read: "Going, going, gone…", along with a photo of the item in front of a group of dismayed spectators..In a statement on its website, the auction house said: "The unexpected incident became instant art-world history and certainly marks the first time in auction history that a work of art automatically shredded itself after coming under the hammer.".Banksy, a pseudonym, keeps his identity shrouded in mystery. He started out spray-painting in his native Bristol, southwestern England, in the 1990s, and has since gained international acclaim for politically charged street art – that often tends to pop up unannounced – across the world..Several of his artworks have been removed from buildings and sold at auction, while his 2010 documentary, "Exit Through the Gift Shop," was nominated for an Academy Award.."Girl With Balloon," which depicts a child rendered in black reaching toward a red, heart-shaped balloon, is one of Banksy's most recognisable works, but it wasn't his first to fetch more than $1 million..In 2008, his "Keep It Spotless," a Damien Hirst painting defaced by the elusive artist, was sold for $1.87 million at a Sotheby's charity event in New York.

The $1.4m artwork that shredded itself – The Wall Street Journal

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