Banksy Strikes Again . . .

Banksy, the secretive street artist, turns the art world upside-down at Sotheby’s.

In a world where a painting can be sold at $157 million, as was the Italian artist, Amedeo Modiglian’s "Nu couché" in June this year, or a messy, unmade bed can be sold for £2.5 million, as was Tracy Emin’s "My Bed" in 2014 – you would think that the art world could not shock us anymore. Then Banksy strikes again.

Banksy, the mysterious street artist from England, managed to pull off the best stunt ever when he personally arranged for one of his best known works to self-destruct, after it had just sold for over £1 million at Sotheby’s contemporary art auction, last week. The picture "Girl With Balloon" was voted the UK’s best artwork last year, and now it has been destroyed – or has it? Some art experts say that the picture, which first appeared on a wall in east London, in 2002, may now double in price – so the prank will have really paid off.

But how did Banksy manage to shred one of his most well-known artworks, just as the bidding had stopped and the auctioneer had hit the table with his gavel? Well, immediately after the bidders had watched in horror and amazement as the picture slipped through a shredder that had been hidden at the bottom of the frame, Banksy posted a picture of the destroyed image on his Instagram page with the caption "Going, going, gone" – these are the exact words used by auctioneers as they close a sale. On Saturday night a hooded man, whom we presume must be Banksy himself, uploaded a video showing exactly how he managed to hide the shredder, which many of us use for shredding letters and bank statements, into the ornate frame. There was also a caption and quote from Picasso: "The urge to destroy is also a creative urge". The expression on the bidders’ faces as two of Sotheby’s employees carried away the picture, showing half of the artwork dangling in strips ,is priceless.

I have wanted to write about Banksy for ages, but he has done so much that it is difficult to know where to start. He is an anonymous, England-based street artist, vandal, political activist and film director, whose secret political and social works have been found on streets and bridges all over the world. His unmistakable street art graffiti and distinctive stencil technique are amazing. There is "The Grin Reaper" instead of the grim reaper, which shows a friendly looking ghost with an enormous grin on its face; "The Naked Man" on the wall of a sexual health clinic in his hometown, Bristol; "The Sweatshop Boy" that appeared on Poundland ( a shop that sells everything for one pound) in London. This shows an Asian boy hunched over a sewing machine and is meant to remind us of how such a shop can sell everything so cheaply.

Banksy has always tried to maintain his anonymity, as what he is doing is illegal and he has to constantly run from the police, but some people claim to know who he is. His provocative artwork is mainly done at night and is to be found on walls from Vienna to San Francisco. Auctioneers sell these pieces, on his behalf, and the buyer has to remove the bricks from the wall.

Banksy’s most controversial statement has to be "The Walled Off Hotel" which is owned by the British artist. The hotel in Bethlehem claims to have "the worst view of any hotel in the world" as it is next to the barrier wall separating Israel from the Palestinian territories. The ten rooms only get 25 minutes of direct sunlight every day, but it is packed with brilliant artworks by Banksy and, even if it is not the Ritz, it is always full. Well done, Banksy. You have done it again!