Banksy tears up after a sale of 1 million books at Sotheby's

The elusive Banksy artist is shredded after selling over a million pounds.

Girl With Balloon, one of Banksy's best known works, was auctioned by Sotheby's in London.

The framed piece shows a girl reaching for a heart-shaped balloon and is the final work sold at the auction.

However, as one could expect from the most subversive character of street art, the canvas suddenly went through a chipper installed in the frame.

By posting a picture of the moment on Instagram, Banksy wrote: "Go, go, go …"

The 2006 coin was suspended at the bottom of the frame after being sold Friday night at £ 1,042m.

"It would appear that we had just received Banksy-ed," said Alex Branczik, senior director of Sotheby's and head of contemporary art in Europe.

Banksy is an artist born in Bristol whose true identity – despite creeping speculations – has never been officially revealed.

He became famous thanks to a series of graffiti appearing on buildings across the country, marked by deeply satirical nuances.

Friday's self-destruction was the latest in a long history of anti-establishment statements by the street artist.

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Among other recent works include the opening of Dismaland, his Disneyland-esque dystopian theme park in 2015, which he describes as a "family theme park unsuitable for children".

Girl With Balloon originally appeared on a wall in Great Eastern Street, London.

In 2017, it was elected the nation's favorite art work.

The gallery version included spray paint and acrylic on canvas, mounted on a blackboard.