Buyer of Banksy’s Prank “Love Is In The Bin” is Keeping Artwork
“I began to realise I could end up with my own piece of art history.”
Banksy’s art prank was huge news at the time and now, following an international furore about how the auctioneers would deal with the aftermath of the unprecedented incident, the buyer will be keeping the art piece. Originally titled “Girl With Balloon” the piece was semi-shredded as soon as it sold at Sotheby’s on October 5 for £1.04 million (approx. $1.37 million USD).
The work soon received a new name and is now titled “Love Is in the Bin,” having been given a certificate by Banksy’s authentication body, Pest Control. And now it the buyer of the piece, an avid art collector has spoken out about the incident, saying to The Guardian: “When the hammer came down last week and the work was shredded, I was at first shocked, but gradually I began to realise that I would end up with my own piece of art history.”
Banksy had previously showcased on Instagram how the device had been built into the piece years earlier, with a video detailing its creation. Sotheby’s will be showing the artwork in its London galleries for a limited time on October 13 and 14 before delivering it to the buyer.
In related news, the “Capitalizing on Justice” exhibition showcases works from incarcerated artists.
