In 2018, the art world witnessed one of the most dramatic and unexpected interventions in auction history. During a Sotheby’s London sale, Banksy’s 2006 painting Girl with Balloon stunned audiences when it began to shred itself moments after the hammer fell at £1.04 million. Hidden within the ornate frame was a mechanical shredder, secretly installed by the artist. The stunt turned the piece into a new work, renamed Love Is in the Bin, which Sotheby’s described as “the first artwork in history to be created live during an auction.”
Banksy later revealed that the shredder had been designed to completely destroy the canvas. However, due to a technical malfunction, only half of the painting was shredded. In a video posted afterward, Banksy cited Picasso’s famous line: “The urge to destroy is also a creative urge.” His commentary underscored the piece’s deeper critique of the art market, suggesting that art’s true value is eroded when overshadowed by inflated sales figures and commercialization. Just as the girl in the image reaches for a balloon that slips away, the authenticity of art risks being lost in the pursuit of profit.
The anonymous European collector who purchased the piece embraced the unexpected turn of events. Initially shocked, she later remarked that she now possessed “a piece of art history.” Indeed, the act itself became inseparable from the artwork’s identity, making it one of the most recognizable art events of the 21st century.
Since March 2019, Love Is in the Bin has been on permanent loan to the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart in Germany, where it continues to attract visitors intrigued by its story. In October 2021, the artwork sold again at Sotheby’s for £18.58 million (about US$25.3 million), setting a record price for Banksy.
Originally adapted from Banksy’s 2002 mural Girl with Balloon, the painting was a rare, unique work rather than one of the artist’s prints. Gifted by Banksy to a friend after his 2006 “Barely Legal” exhibition, the piece has since transformed into one of the most talked-about art interventions in modern history, embodying both irony and rebellion against the commodification of creativity.
Love Is in the Bin: Banksy’s Iconic Act of Art Intervention
