Banksy artwork self-destructs through shredder moment after $1.4 million sale

Found on CBS News on Sunday, 07 October 2018
Browse Pranks

The spray-painted canvas "Girl With Balloon" went under the hammer at Sotheby's in London, fetching more than three times its pre-sale estimate and equaling a record price for the artist. It then ran through a shredder embedded in the frame, emerging from the bottom in strips as an alarm sounded.

The auction house said it was "in discussion about next steps" with the buyer. Some art-market watchers have suggested the work – which shows a girl reaching toward a heart-shaped balloon – could be worth even more in its shredded state.

This is the kind of prank that does not hurt anybody while at the same time it outlines what's wrong with the current world of artwork. If someone has these amounts of money to launder invest, you cannot feel really sorry for the buyer. Unfortunately though, those who say it will now be worth even more are probably right: the art market is retarded like that.