British street artist Banksy has stunned the art world with arguably his most audacious prank yet, self-destructing one of his best-known works moments after it fetched more than a million pounds at auction in London. “The unexpected incident became instant art world folklore and certainly marks the first time in auction history that a work of art automatically shredded itself after coming under the hammer,” the auctioneers added in the statement. “The shredding is now part of the integral art work.”Sotheby’s did not release details on the buyer, but reports said the winning bid was made by telephone. The price paid in London Friday evening for “Girl with Balloon” matched the artist’s previous record at a 2008 auction for another work, Sotheby’s said. It was instantly recognisable as a Banksy to anyone familiar with his work.

Source: Punch October 06, 2018 12:13 UTC