The news about Banksy’s painting, “Girl With Balloon” and its semi-destruction in a Sotheby’s auction has been in the headlines recently. After the gavel went down on the sale at £1 million including the buyer’s premium, the artwork began descending in its frame, with half the painting coming out in shredded tatters. This led the value of the artwork to double in value.

At the time, Banksy released a video on Instagram to show how he had built the shredder into the painting’s frame in case it went on auction. According to a report by the BBC, Banksy has now revealed that things didn’t quite go as planned, as he intended the whole painting to be shredded and destroyed.

Banksy, ‘Girl With Balloon’ and ‘Love is in the Bin ‘

Following the stunning incident in Sotheby’s art house, the buyer still went ahead with the sale at the agreed premium and art experts said the painting had now doubled in value to at least £2 million. Shortly after the sale, Banksy released a video showing how he installed the shredder into the painting's frame.

As an elusive, non-conforming and anti-establishment artist, many believed Banksy would ever have intended the painting to increase in worth. It now turns out that he most certainly did not.

In fact, Banksy has now come forward to say his plan didn’t go quite as he intended, as “Girl With Balloon” was supposed to be completely destroyed.

A new video posted to Banksy’s website implied the failure of his plans. In the footage, Banksy shows how a button was depressed after the sale of the painting, activating the shredder and sending the artwork downwards through the frame, with beeping sounds resounding through the sales room.

It shows stunned onlookers staring as Sotheby’s staff removed the piece from the wall, with one-half intact and the other half shredded. A caption to the video says that it worked every time in rehearsals, implying that it went wrong on the day. A clip was then revealed showing the whole painting being shredded and hanging in tatters, leaving the frame completely empty.

Watch the full action as it happened in Banksy’s “director’s half cut” of the sale and subsequent shredding of the painting. At the end of the clip, it shows a successful rehearsal. However, it must be noted that it looks like the artist used a paper reproduction, which likely shreds more easily than canvas.

As noted by the Independent, Banksy had previously come forward to say he prepared the stunt several years ago, in case “Girl With Balloon” ever went on auction. He captioned his original video quoting Spanish artist Pablo Picasso to the effect that the urge to destroy something is a creative urge too.

Sotheby’s recently announced that the painting now has a new title, “Love is in the Bin.” The painting was briefly displayed in public before being sent to the female European art expert who purchased the artwork.

Sotheby’s quoted the happy new owner of the Banksy painting as saying she was shocked at first when the incident happened. However, she then slowly began to realise she would be ending up with a piece of art history.
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