A work by the mysterious British artist Banksy shredded itself during an auction in London the same moment it was being sold for over one million pounds.
“Girl with Balloon” one of the most well known works by Banksy was torn to pieces by a paper shredder hidden in its frame, the moment the hammer had secured the work for 1,042,000 pounds, a price that is equivalent with the previous record sale of the artist’s work, announced Sotheby’s auction house.
“It seems we’ve just been Banksy-ed,” said Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s European head of contemporary art, in an announcement on the house’s website.
The artist himself posted a photograph on Instagram showing those present watching the artwork self destroy with the words “Going, going, gone…”.
Sotheby’s announced that this was “definitely” the first time an art work started to… shred itself after being auctioned.
The auction house was not immediately ready to comment on where the pieces of the work are to be found or how it will be valued after its self destruction.
Banksy, whose real identity is unknown, is famous for his graffiti, executed in the stencil technique and commenting mostly on political issues.
