Ah! Humor in Art--the Mark of the Master.

I wish I'd been there.

A painting, done by the mysterious "Banksy", who is sort of like the English Masked Andy Warhol of counterculture graffiti, recently sold for a personal record of US $1.4 million at Sotheby's in London.

The instant the auctioneer's hammer came down, the painting began to slip downward in it's massive frame--and reappear in strips below it.

Years before, Banksy had built a shredder into the frame, in case the painting ever sold at auction.

After everyone got through having their personal heart attacks, the painting was carefully taken away.

The bad news is that "Girl with a Balloon" will probably never be the same.

The good news is that the shredder gag has probably added 50% to the value of the painting.

What a priceless moment in the History of Art...

Sort of.

I wonder: what will Banksy's masterpiece "Half-Shredded Girl with a Balloon" sell for next time?

Banksy reveals he built the shredder YEARS ago - ‘To destroy is a creative urge’

 

What would have been funny, since the frame is so huge, would have been to have two copies and a roller. Roll the "front" copy up at the bottom of the frame, and shred the back copy (an actual cheap, xerox copy of the front painting), just to see the reaction.

While I think $1.4MM for a painting is a bit much, and the prank was funny, I do hope the person who bid that much didn't get burned. Not cool, no matter how much money you have.

"I don't begrudge rich people their money. I aspire to be a rich person with money."
"I don't hate rich people. I've never gotten a paycheck from a poor person!"

 

The art world is loving this. And they are saying this stunt increased the value of the drawing. Most art is insured and somewhere there is an insurance company wondering what to do now.

 

Yet one more prank.

 

Buy a Copy!
Girl with a Balloon Canvas Wall Art by Banksy | iCanvas

 

I substituted the original with a new one.

 

Was doing some mindless tv channel surfing in the wee hours of the morning. There was this artist who paints practically nothing but simple, usually just black and white, stark, big eared rabbits. He has an entire gallery filled with them. All are by design a little bit different than all others he has painted. He has a catalog of all those ever sold as well as those on hand to sell. If any look to be both the same size and everything else, then he may add a touch of color, or destroy it. So far those with any color are the rarest. In a fleeting thought before turning off the tv and going to sleep or getting up, in my bent, totally unique mind had two thoughts of my own.
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Does he have any of rabbits doing what rabbits do? Also how much do his paintings sell for? I would kind of like want to have one of his paintings. Last note, was lately watching new prime time antenna tv and noticed one of rabbit paintings on the wall in the background of an interior shot during the show.

 

I heard it was designed to start shredding when the gavel went down on the final bid. My question is , How did it know that was the final bid ? How did it distinguish the gavel from a chair falling , for example .

 

I like it