No change of heart! The purchaser of the $1.4 million Banksy Girl with Balloon painting has decided to keep the artwork despite the fact that it shredded itself moments after the woman won the bid.
Sotheby’s — the auction house where Girl with Balloon was sold — announced on Thursday, October 11, that “The buyer, a female European collector and a long-standing client of Sotheby’s, is proceeding with the purchase at the same price as was achieved in the room on the night.”
The buyer told Sotheby’s: “When the hammer came down last week and the work was shredded, I was at first shocked, but gradually I began to realize that I would end up with my own piece of art history.”
The street artist spoke out following the mind-blowing destruction of his work, revealing that he was the one behind the stunt. (The piece has since been renamed Love Is in the Bin.)
“A few years ago I secretly built a shredder into a painting. In case it was ever put up for auction … ” Banksy wrote alongside a video showing the moment it happened, along with a stunned room of bidders. He captioned the clip: “‘The urge to destroy is also a creative urge’ – Picasso”
Twitter couldn’t help but express excitement for the buyer’s agreement to move forward with her purchase as well as the anonymous artists’ brilliant surprise.
“I love everything about this. From Bansky’s awesome move to the buyer agreeing to complete the sale. So now what’s it worth!” one commenter wrote. Another added: “banksy @sothebys Update!!! The artist has now named the painting 🖼 #loveisinthebin as the first piece of art to ever be created live! 👏👏👏👏 bravo bansky for keeping it Alive and moving!”
