Banksy's million dollar illustration is even more valuable, says the buyer

The woman who donated $ 1.4 million for a print of the famous artist Banksy will make the purchase, even if it was shredded just after its auction.

Bands were left hanging from the famous work of 2006, titled Girl with a ball, the hammer fell at Sotheby's last week. A video on social media later revealed that a shredding device was built into the painting and needed to be activated when it was auctioned.

But the anonymous buyer, described by the auction house as a long-time customer of Sotheby's, said she would still buy the work for which she had offered £ 1.04 million (£ 1.37 million). dollars).

"When the hammer fell last week and the work was shredded, I was shocked at first, but I gradually started to realize that I would end up with my own piece of paper. history of art, "she said. The Guardian.

An employee walks around with Banksy's "Girl With Balloon" at the Bonhams auction house in London on March 23, 2012. A woman who donated $ 1.4 million to Sotheby's for engraving 39; a renowned artist will proceed with the purchase even if it has been shredded. just after it was auctioned. REUTERS / Luke MacGregor / Photo File

The work has now been renamed Love is in the trash and has been certified by Banksy's authentication body, Pest Control. The famous framed stencil depicts a girl holding a balloon with the phrase "There is always hope".

Sharing the video on Instagram, the artist included a legend saying: "The desire to destroy is also a desire to create" – Picasso. The work will be on display at Sotheby's on 13 and 14 October before being delivered to the buyer.

The anonymous artist has released a video clip on social media showing how he integrated the secret shredder into the frame. Metal razor blades were placed inside the wooden frame. It is unlikely that such a tool is present in the work without Sotheby's knowledge.

The art dealer, Steve Lazarides, who has already sold Banksy's work, said that Sotheby's had nothing to do with shredding, but that its destruction had further increased its value.

"It may well be one of the first works to have more value destroyed than it has as a whole," he said, according to Artsy.net. "If I was the collector who paid the money, I would have been very shocked that very night, but looking back in hindsight at the moment, I think I would keep this job. Its value could very well have increased.

Alex Branczik, head of Sotheby's contemporary art in Europe, said: "Banksy did not destroy a work at the auction, he created one. Following his surprise intervention in the night, we are happy to confirm the sale of the artist's new artist Love is in the trash, the first work of art in history to have been created live at an auction. "