What happened next? How Banksy's shredder proved he is a serious, important artist

The self-destructing masterpiece was the art world’s funniest joke. Was it really an act of sabotage or has it doubled the piece’s value?

It had been a very good auction. Sotheby’s had already taken more than £32m at its contemporary art sale on 5 October. Then came the final lot of the evening. No sooner had it gone under the hammer for just over £1m than, to the shock and bafflement of the assembled collectors and art professionals, the work’s own frame started to eat it. Banksy’s Girl With Balloon was pulled downward into what was – with hindsight – a suspiciously bulky frame and emerged sliced into thin strips.

Was it an attack on the art market or a cheap publicity stunt? A Dada masterpiece or just a way for Banksy to raise his prices? Speculation and gossip have fuelled this instant art classic’s fame, yet the cynics have mostly been disproved – so far. Admittedly, in spite of denials by Sotheby’s, the placing of Banksy’s booby-trapped picture at the end of the auction in October looks, to some, too perfect.

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