It’s common knowledge that people pay millions and billions of money to buy art. The paintings can range from a beautiful landscape to just a thick red line going through a white canvas, but you can be sure there will be someone to buy it. And for reasons unknown, one artist decided to play a prank on them.
Recently, Banksy, an anonymous England-based street artist, put up one of his arts for sale, titled ‘Girl with Red Balloon’. It was auctioned at Sotheby’s Auction House for ₹8.2 Crore. But then, something strange happened.
$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
According to witnesses, the canvas started to drop down and shred itself through a shredder concealed in the frame. And going by the reactions you can see there, everyone was startled because they were seeing a million-dollar artwork get destroyed.
BANKSY CANVAS SHREDDED at SOTHEBY'S AUCTION IN LONDON https://t.co/PmdugKdWwJ pic.twitter.com/oVQHm8xeOl
— Michael Surtees (@MichaelSurtees) October 6, 2018
In case you aren’t satisfied by the frame-by-frame depiction of the Banksy painting’s destruction, here’s a video of the moment.
Lo último: @banksy destruye sí #GWRB Girl With Red Balloon, antes que cayera el mazo en plena subasta en Sotheby's.
Subasta iba el 860,000£@jaimesancristo pic.twitter.com/a10DlEnLbi
— Vanessa N. Hernandez (@VanessaVonZed) October 6, 2018
While the natural reaction would be anger, netizens were delighted and some even had a great explanation as to the meaning of this action by Banksy.
1. It must’ve been shocking.
Immediately after the gavel drops and this Banksy is sold for ~$1 million, a remotely activated shredder concealed inside the frame reduces the artwork into to ribbons. Absolutely brilliant. https://t.co/lpRcSzoISi
— ䷀䷊䷃䷛ (@evanbooth) October 6, 2018
2. It does fit the definition of ‘epic’.
'It was not clear whether the artist had attended the auction in person to deliver the coup de grâce to his work.' Epic from Banksy! https://t.co/ZJtBAuZfw1 | @FT
— Latika M Bourke (@latikambourke) October 6, 2018
3. Oxford dictionary can make this term official now.
“We’ve just been Banksy’ed” https://t.co/L0lZrWLduo pic.twitter.com/KG8QmU6yIb
— Keegan Hamilton (@keegan_hamilton) October 5, 2018
4. That’s a great point.
How did all of the experts at Sotheby's who evaluated the piece fail to notice the piece contained a shredding mechanism?
— Duncan Stott 🏗️🏘️🚲🌇🚌 (@DuncanStott) October 6, 2018
5. Is that what caught your eye? There’s a painting being shredded!
https://twitter.com/mollyjustmight/status/1048540217303556097
6. Actually, the Joker would definitely do something like this.
what a fucking joker https://t.co/F17vUNl9H6
— bil (@filipwot) October 6, 2018
7. If that was the idea, then Banksy deserves a round of applause.
https://twitter.com/DeadNed88/status/1048536090284642306
8. Womp womp womp!
This is absolute genius! Don't think the buyer will be after a refund. He now owns the only piece Banksy's work, booby trapped by Banksy! #banksy #whatalad #ifyoudontwantitillhaveit… https://t.co/kjaPQw6wtm
— Jen @whalleywineshop (@wwsjen) October 6, 2018
9. That’s some message to send through art.
Banksy is a legend for this. People spending millions on simple art pieces, all whilst children are starving in the world https://t.co/AABWpc5s55
— Ak 被 (@AkmolAli) October 6, 2018
10. It’s a learning lesson.
Banksy is like the Trojan Horse of the art-world right now. What a G. Hilarious that the auction house can’t decide whether the work is now worth MORE because of the conceptual turn…clearly the art-world will never learn!
— Amrou Al-Kadhi 🦄 (@Glamrou) October 6, 2018
Technically, as Banksy has made the art, it belongs to him. That said, do you think it was wrong for him to shred it up after it was bought or do you think it’s all fair?