A Banksy prank several years in the making has just revealed itself. “Girl With Balloon” was the final item in an auction at Sotheby’s in London Friday night, fetching a record sale price for the notorious artist.
Shortly after the hammer came down, the artwork churned to life, destroying itself via a shredder custom-built into the frame. Banksy revealed such on Instagram where he first shared a photo of the partially shredded work and then followed up with a video of him (or someone on his team) installing the shredder.
Ironically, the stunt and the accompanying press coverage will no doubt raise the profile of the artwork and likely increase its value (and resale value) even more. You can see video and stills of the prank below.
