When street artist Banksy destroyed one of his works of art last week seconds after it was sold at auction, he probably added to its value, with some experts suggesting it could now be worth double its original price.
It comes as little surprise then that the unnamed female European buyer who spent a small fortune on it has indicated that she will keep hold the artwork, which has been given a new name by the artist and auction house for its new, shredded state.
No one knows how the secretive artist activated a shredder hidden within the frame of his painting Girl with Balloon just after it was sold last week by Sotheby’s for $1.4 million (Dh6.8 million).
The maverick British artist posted a video on Instagram in the wake of the prank accompanied by a quote attributed to Pablo Picasso – “the urge to destroy is also a creative urge”.
He said he had fitted the shredder in case the painting should ever be put up for auction – where its final price set a joint record for his work.
“Banksy might think that by destroying his art he’s undermining capitalists who buy it, but he’s wrong,” commented Mikael Faujour of the specialist French art magazine Artension.
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