Shredded Banksy artwork sells for record-breaking €21.9 million

evoke.ie:

A piece of artwork by the famed anonymous artist Banksy has broken records in auction selling for 18 times the original price.

The piece of art was bought by a European art collector for €1.18 million in 2018 at a Sotheby’s auction but the secretive artist managed to increase its value just as the gavel fell as there was a concealed shredder in the ornate gold frame holding it and it partially destroyed itself in front of the auction-goers eyes.

The spray-painted piece which depicts a young girl reaching for a balloon was originally spotted on a wall in East London and has become one of the political activist’s most well-known pieces.