It's safe to say that no one expected what was to happen to Banksy's original piece, Girl with Balloon when it was up for auction at Sotheby's London last week. "Banksy didn’t destroy an artwork in the auction, he created one. The new work has been granted a certificate by Pest Control, Banksy’s authentication body, and has been given a new title, Love is in the Bin. "When the hammer came down last week and the work was shredded, I was at first shocked, but gradually I began to realise that I would end up with my own piece of art history." Anonymous buyerAs lot 67 in Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Sale on 5th October, Banksy’s Girl with Balloon was one of a number of works up for auction last Friday (including Jenny Saville's record-breaking piece).

Source: Forbes October 11, 2018 18:12 UTC