In 2018, a remarkable event took place at a Sotheby’s auction when a framed painting by the renowned street artist Banksy was sold for more than a million pounds. Just as the gavel fell to signal the end of the bidding, an alarm was triggered and a shredder concealed in the picture frame activated, reducing the painting to strips before the stunned audience.
This infamous incident, which was later revealed to have been orchestrated by Banksy himself, is a testament to the artist’s playful and subversive approach to art. Banksy is a pseudonymous street artist and political activist whose real identity remains unknown. He rose to prominence in the late 1990s for his distinctive stencil-based graffiti works, often addressing themes of social and political injustice, consumerism, and war.
Banksy’s art has been exhibited globally and has garnered a dedicated following, as well as a fair share of controversy. His works have been the subject of legal disputes, vandalism, and even theft. Despite this, Banksy has remained a prominent figure in the art world and a symbol of counterculture, inspiring a new generation of street artists to use their art to provoke thought and spark change.