Banksy Artwork Shreds Itself

perfectly executed. value probably doubled.

 

An in depth discussion:

 

Yeah, this is one of those of those occurrences that the more you scrutinize it, the less its makes any real sense.

Hard not to believe that the someone at the auction house (and quite possibly the consignor as well) wasn't in on this at some level. Otherwise, it just doesn't really quite add up.

Still interesting from a performance art perspective, though (despite the apparent artifice).

 

If it was done by the artist, which Banksy confirmed, then the buyer bid on an unfinished work that was completed at the time of sale. I think it's brilliant.

 

Buyer just was not aware it was a performance piece. That frame...

 

So he put the shredder in the frame "a few years ago," and it still has a battery charge to shred the painting? Hmmm...

 

The video Rick Bartlett posted goes into that. His theory is that Banksy worked with the previous owner, that the battery only had to last from just before it was delivered to Sotheby's to the day of the auction.

 

But if you were the buyer and put out all that money and you weren't in on it, wouldn't you still be very pissed off, regardless if the value doubled or not because of it?

 

The buyer was a phone bidder, so I'm wondering what their legal obligation is to actually transfer the money. It's no longer the thing that they bid on, so presumably any contract they had with Sotheby's is now void.

It's not like this is the only copy of this particular work, it's his most popular image, this one being distinguished because it was executed on canvas.

 

With Banksy, expect the unexpected. He's a one off.

 

I bet they gave the buyer the option to cancel. He’d be stupid to do that though.

 

Banksy probably got the idea from this

 

what was the purpose of this act?

 

check out the bevy of posts before yours for some good insight

 

The battery wouldn't have lasted "years".
The auction house would have done conducted multiple thorough inspections on the piece and the frame.
This work alone was displayed on the wall rather than on an easel.

 

aren't they just speculation?

 

it's banksy, my dude. that's all we really have.

 

Conceptual art. Sometimes the concept is the point. More important to the artist that the actual completed physical work.

Google: Fluxus movement .

 

so, did the buyer know this?

 

O' OK, gotcha. : )

 

the final resort, the loss of our innocence, the destruction of beauty by technology, I don't think the buyer was in on it but he'd be a fool to back out, the arthouse had to be, I think...a few people have self shredded their own prints trying to increase the value (lol)

Please don’t shred your own Banksy print unless you want it to be worth £1

 

Apparently not. But now that it’s more famous, it is probably worth more than he paid.

 

crazy stuff. : )

 

LOL yea, now they'll have shredded Banksy for sale...ppl ARE SERIOUSLY NUTS! lol...

 

What if it was Banksy him/herself who bid on it?
I can't see anyone paying for something that would self destruct.