# Painting self destructs right after sale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566 "2018-10-06T15:50:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/21 "2018-10-06T22:33:40Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Seems very odd that the shredder stopped with a third of the work untouched. The transformed piece can still be displayed. > > There should have been a useless pile of shredded paper on the floor. > > Banksy must have planned it this way. > > I assume this is a reminder of the artificial value placed on art. That one wealthy person wants to own the work and drives up the value. Depriving everyone else from enjoying it too. > > Banksy has always produced street art for the public. > [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ll be interested if Banksy captures a screenshot of the shocked faces and makes a new art piece in Photoshop. > > Or it could be a street painting someday > > That’s performance art captured at it’s best. I like this analysis, and I appreciate your sly artistic construction, in which your comment on performance art is, itself, contained within a lovely little piece of performative prose. You have a whimsical, one might even say magical ability to create posts that seem, on their surface, to be little more than a series of disconnected and trite observations, but that, when viewed as a whole, transcend the banality of the specific and produce a deep, comtemplative view of the world. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2018, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/22 "2018-10-06T23:41:59Z")
I agree this was pretty cool, even if it some sort of “setup”. How was the shredding executed? Was it done by remote control by someone in the room? Maybe by cell phone but then someone would have to contact the perpetrator from the auction since I doubt it was broadcast live. I ask because the shredding took place right after it was sold. Adding more intrigue to this is no one knows who Bansky really is. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/23 "2018-10-07T00:14:31Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I like this analysis, and I appreciate your sly artistic construction, in which your comment on performance art is, itself, contained within a lovely little piece of performative prose. > > You have a whimsical, one might even say magical ability to create posts that seem, on their surface, to be little more than a series of disconnected and trite observations, but that, when viewed as a whole, transcend the banality of the specific and produce a deep, comtemplative view of the world. Thank you for the kind words mhendo. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/24 "2018-10-07T01:05:03Z")
I’m impressed by this master stroke of self promotion. It’s art imitating asymmetric wealth. Should we shred our Banksy Amazon prints and how does one keep the dangling pieces from curling due to changes in humidity? Maybe have it printed on glass first and then cut on a tile cutter? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/25 "2018-10-07T01:20:28Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Too late for a refund? > > [https://www.cnn.com/style/article/banksy-painting-self-destructs-auction-trnd/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/style/article/banksy-painting-self-destructs-auction-trnd/index.html) You obviously meant this question as a joke, but it’s an interesting question. Were the potential buyers informed that this was going to happen? Like most here, I get it, but what if the buyer didn’t? What if he said “hey, it’s ruined, I’m not paying good money for that”? Would he still be on the hook for $1.4 million? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/26 "2018-10-07T01:42:32Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’m impressed by this master stroke of self promotion. This. Had the painting sold in the normal fashion, we wouldn’t be talking about Banksy. Guy’s a marketing genius. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/27 "2018-10-07T01:43:27Z")
Banksy is a satirist. Satire is rarely subtle, but often very clever. Obviously that can be annoying, but I like it. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/28 "2018-10-07T02:38:24Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > You obviously meant this question as a joke, but it’s an interesting question. Were the potential buyers informed that this was going to happen? > > Like most here, I get it, but what if the buyer didn’t? What if he said “hey, it’s ruined, I’m not paying good money for that”? Would he still be on the hook for $1.4 million? Sotheby’s has said they are working it out with the Buyer, who, if they were smart, would keep it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/29 "2018-10-07T03:33:28Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Sotheby’s has said they are working it out with the Buyer, who, if they were smart, would keep it. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Keeping it may be the smart thing but there is one thing to be considered. It must battery powered. If I’m not mistaken batteries contain chemicals that with age can leak and become corrosive. If so then any batteries should be removed. Whether that can be done without disturbing the artwork depends on how it’s constructed. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/30 "2018-10-07T04:08:42Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > How was the shredding executed? Was it done by remote control by someone in the room? Supposedly, yes. From The New York Times, “A photo posted on the private Instagram account of Caroline Lang, the chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland, showed a man in the salesroom operating an electronic device hidden inside a bag. Ms. Long said that she later saw a man being removed from the building by Sotheby’s security staff.” BTW, on [his Instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/p/BomXijJhArX/), Banksy explains when and how he did it. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/31 "2018-10-07T05:31:54Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Supposedly, yes. From The New York Times, “A photo posted on the private Instagram account of Caroline Lang, the chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland, showed a man in the salesroom operating an electronic device hidden inside a bag. Ms. Long said that she later saw a man being removed from the building by Sotheby’s security staff.” > > BTW, on [his Instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/p/BomXijJhArX/), Banksy explains when and how he did it. According to that, a few years ago he hid a shredder in a painting “in case it was ever put up for auction”. What does that imply exactly? Was it still his and did he decide to auction it, or had he sold it to someone else who then later put it up for auction? Was it even his property to destroy at this point? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/32 "2018-10-07T05:44:55Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > According to that, a few years ago he hid a shredder in a painting “in case it was ever put up for auction”. > > What does that imply exactly? Was it still his and did he decide to auction it, or had he sold it to someone else who then later put it up for auction? > > Was it even his property to destroy at this point? To answer my own question, according to Vice the painting was acquired by Sotheby’s in 2006. So, if that’s correct, and considering the value of the painting, did he just commit a felony? > **[Banksy Reveals How He Shredded That Painting After It Sold for $1.1 Million](https://www.vice.com/en/article/yw9xgy/a-banksy-painting-self-destructed-after-being-auctioned-for-dollar11-million-vgtrn)** > > “We’ve just been Banksy’ed,” a Sotheby's director said. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/33 "2018-10-07T08:56:22Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > did he just commit a felony? I don’t see how. The painting was initially sold _with_ the[artist’s frame](https://www.artsy.net/gene/artists-frame)containing the shredder. As such, the whole unit was purchased,\* including the potential for it to shred itself\*. He didn’t come after the fact and install a shredder into a painting someone had already purchased. Now, you _could_ argue that there’s a case for some sort of deception as to the nature of what was sold. But that’s also on Sotherby’s for not properly checking out all aspects of what they sell (charitably assuming they _weren’t_ aware of the shredder.) But at best, you’re talking a civil case for the deception, there’s no case to be made here for felony. Nothing was stolen, or, technically, destroyed. and the artwork did exactly what it was intended to do by the artist. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/34 "2018-10-07T09:21:54Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > the painting was acquired by Sotheby’s in 2006. So it had a battery embedded for 12 years, which remained fully functional ? Is there an electrical engineer in this thread who can please tell us how that’s done? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/35 "2018-10-07T09:32:48Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > So it had a battery embedded for 12 years, which remained fully functional ? > > Is there an electrical engineer in this thread who can please tell us how that’s done? Very good point! Now I’m wondering if Sotheby’s (and maybe the “buyer”?) were in on it. And it’s not just the battery. Would a shredder that was never used still function after 12 years? Would the rollers have deteriorated? Would the motor still turn? I smell a rat. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/36 "2018-10-07T09:47:25Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I smell a rat. Also, who took the photos? Somebody was _perfectly_ positioned to catch the audiences faces, the picture frame, etc, and had his camera turned on and instantly ready to use. Normally, at formal occasions like this, people keep their phones turned off. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/37 "2018-10-07T10:00:55Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Also, who took the photos? > Somebody was _perfectly_ positioned to catch the audiences faces, the picture frame, etc, and had his camera turned on and instantly ready to use. > Normally, at formal occasions like this, people keep their phones turned off. Not just photos; a video. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/38 "2018-10-07T11:17:19Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Would a shredder that was never used still function after 12 years? Would the rollers have deteriorated? Would the motor still turn? It wasn’t built in 1890. Of course it would still work. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/39 "2018-10-07T11:51:27Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > BTW, on [his Instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/p/BomXijJhArX/), Banksy explains when and how he did it. How exactly does the shredder work when the blades are turned sideways? Do you think you could lower canvas or paper onto an xacto blade and have it cut cleanly? Did you notice how the flat painting suddenly appeared curled as it “went through” the shredder? There was no shredder. There was a shredded version of the painting rolled up into the frame that lowered as the painting was rolled up onto it’s own spool. Dollars to donuts someone at Sotheby’s knew about the trick frame and made damn sure it was going to work on cue. That said, Banksy is a master promoter of him/her/them self. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566/40 "2018-10-07T12:03:16Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > It wasn’t built in 1890. Of course it would still work. It could still work but there was no guarantee. The battery could have deteriorated. Parts could have corroded. It could have accidentally been set off somehow during those twelve years. It’s a great piece of performance art but I’m skeptical that this happened as described. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-self-destructs-right-after-sale/822566.md?page=3)