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But the anonymous artist has now suggested that things were not going according to plan.
Images taken on a mobile phone when selling in London show works of art that slide into a hidden shredder in its frame, before stopping abruptly halfway and being carried away by the auction managers.
However, a new video, published Wednesday on the Banksy website, suggests that the 2006 painting "Girl with Balloon" was to be completely destroyed. It shows images of an identical art work in appearance being shredded from top to bottom, with canvas strips falling off the frame.
The clip is accompanied by the message "In rehearsals, it worked every time …"
We see that the work is partially torn before stopping abruptly. Credit: Banksy
Described as a "director's cut," the three-minute video offers further evidence of how the anonymous artist installed the shredding device. The sequence implies that the cascade was launched via a handheld device, although it is not clear if the close-up of a squeezed button was captured during the sale.
The video also seems to make fun of the arts industry. Scenes apparently recorded during a presale event were modified to include conversation excerpts of the type "Oh graceful!" and "more champagne?"
At one point, a man – who appears to be an employee of an auction house – is filmed standing next to the painting commenting on his now notorious frame.
"The artist has also set the framework," he heard. "You get that pretty often with Banksy – he likes the romance of having a very ornate setting, like that of the National Gallery."
It is unclear how and by whom the images were obtained and some sections seem to have been surreptitiously recorded. Scenes from inside the auction room were shot from different angles, fueling speculation that Banksy or his associates might be on the market.
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The elusive British street-artist Banksy has returned to New York to protest the imprisonment of Zehra Dogan, a Turkish artist jailed last year for a painting. Credit: JASON SZENES / EPA-EFE
Sotheby's has previously denied any involvement, or even any knowledge of, cascading.
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