BLACK ROLLING PINS

Banksy, Girl With Balloon, 2006, Sotheby’s

This is one of the most famous images by anonymous artist Banksy. It was even voted the UK’s favorite artwork in 2017. Banksy has garnered international acclaim for his distinctive style of satirical street art. His work shows dark humour and subversive commentary on contemporary society.

In this painting, a girl reaches out towards a heart shaped balloon. Like much of Banksy’s work, the image is ambiguous, leaving the viewer to decide whether the girl is reaching out to catch the balloon – a symbol of childhood delight – or has let it slip from her fingers - a metaphor for the inevitable loss of innocence. It is the poster-child of Banksy’s art: whether you are for or against him, it encapsulates the immediacy and controversy surrounding the artist’s mission.

The auctioneers had just sold off Girl With Balloon for over a million dollars when an alarm began to ring. Then, a shredder - hidden in a frame chosen by Banksy himself - promptly began sucking in the painting and cutting it into ribbons. Banksy thus surprised a room full of wealthy buyers, and the art world as a whole. 

The artist has been fighting a war on organized art throughout his career. But it’s a battle he can’t win. People are already speculating that Sotheby’s may go forward with the sale, on the grounds that the “destroyed” piece is now almost certain to increase in value because it’s such a perfect, million-dollar troll.