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Anonymous artist Banksy stunned the world again yesterday when his Girl With Balloon painting shredded itself moments after being sold for £1million.
Stunned art fans watched on as the canvas was fed through a hidden shredder built into the frame.
Banksy revealed the stunt was years in the making in a video posted online last night.
Video shot of the stunt however might have unmasked the anonymous artist as he snapped a photo for his own Instagram.
As the camera pans across the room, a man can be seen holding a phone and zooming in to Girl With Balloon.
“Going, going, gone”
Banksy
“Banksy” appears to bear a resemblance to Robin Gunningham, a man previously named as the anonymous artist.
He seen wearing a suit, specs and has curly hair as he snaps the shot at the right vantage point for the post on Instagram.
Banksy took to social media following the shredding, posting a snap of the moment with the caption “going, going gone”.
Could this man with the camera be the anonymous artist in action?
PA
BANKSY: Girl With Balloon was destroyed by a shredder built into the frame
(Pic: PA)
Speculation surrounds the identity of Banksy, with some claiming he is not even a man at all – but rather a collective on artists.
It has been suggested Gunningham could be Banksy, but another name through around is Robert Del Naja – better known as 3D from Massive Attack.
Reporters who have met Banksy describe him as “white, scruffy casual – jeans, T-shirt, a silver tooth, silver chain and silver earring”.
Banksy was also claimed to have been pictured this year after one of his works appeared on the disused Scott Street Bridge in Hull.
TWITTER
MYSTERY: Is this Banksy taking a photo of his handiwork at Sotheby’s?
(Pic: TWITTER)
BANKSY
‘GOING, GOING GONE’: Banksy captured the moment shocked bidders witnesses the shredding
(Pic: BANKSY)
The Bristol-based street artist revealed last night he had put the shredder into the frame as a fail safe if it was ever auctioned.
After it was left in tatters, Banksy posted a snap on Instagram of shocked art lovers at the auction house.
He wrote: “Going, going gone.”
And the Sotheby’s head of contemporary art moaned “we’ve just been Banksy’ed”.
PA
GIRL WITH BALOON: Banksy’s stunt to destroy his artwork was years in the making
(Pic: PA)
However, some art experts believe the value of the half shredded painting will have increased from the stunt by Banksy.
Joey Syer, from MyArtBroker, said: “The auction result will only propel this further and given the media attention this stunt has received, the lucky buyer would see a great return on the £1.02million they paid last night.
“This is now part of art history in its shredded state.
“We’d estimate Banksy has added at a minimum 50 per cent increase to it’s value, possibly as high as being worth £2million plus.”
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