Last Friday night in London, 5 October 2018, Sotheby’s auctioneer slammed down his gavel and uttered the famous trio of words, ‘Going, Going, Gone’ and as soon as the monosyllabic last word ‘Gone’ had passed his lips, it had indeed gone. The auctioneer had just coaxed the final bidder to offer a record-breaking £1.04m for Banksy’s most celebrated piece Girl with Balloon.

Before a stunned audience an alarm sounded inside the picture frame and the canvas passed through a hidden shredder, nestling inside the frame, neatly cutting the picture in shreds. The biggest prank in art history, apparently perpetrated by Banksy himself, raises interesting philosophical and legal questions.

What is Art? How does it acquire value? Who does it belong to? Is Girl with Balloon now worthless or is it perhaps even more valuable after the world-wide publicity it has acquired? One expert has suggested the value has increased by at least 50%. If it is valueless, does the buyer still have to pay? Are Sotheby’s liable? Is Banksy liable? The true identity of the Bristol-born artist is unknown.

Last month we came across what we believe is a Banksy in the Sorbonne area of Paris. It appeared  on the wall just a couple of weeks before we saw it.

Going, Going, Gone – Banksy