Banksy Copycat Shreds ‘Girl With Balloon’ To Double Value, Drops Instead To £1
An owner with a copy of Banksy’s Girl with Balloon artwork has shredded the £40,000 (US$52,774) print in an attempt to increase its value—but succeeded instead in making it worthless.
Banksy made headlines recently after the anonymous British street artist’s Girl with Balloon painting passed through a shredder hidden in its frame, seconds after being auctioned off for US$1.4 million. The art stunt is said to have doubled the painting’s value, which has spurred some to destroy their copies of the Banksy print in aims of potential enjoying similar financial gains.
Art experts however, are warning owners against ruining their Banksy artworks after receiving enquiries on how to increase their value.
One owner, in particular, paid no heed to the advice and decided to shred the Girl with Balloon print using a Stanley knife, in an attempt to double its value to £80,000 (US$105,547).
Art specialists at MyArtBroker.com have refused to accept the defiled print. They are describing the attempts to mimic Banksy’s stunt as “opportunistic vandalism.” This specific owner’s print, one of 600 pieces in the world, is now worth only £1 (US$1.32).
Ian Syer, co-founder of MyArtBroker.com, explained that only Banksy could pull off the shredding stunt as it had a “dramatic affect on values.” He stressed that owners should not ruin a print worth £40,000 (US$52,774) by reducing it to nothing through unnecessary replication of the clever art prank.
We've had a number of #Banksy print owners contact us today asking if they shred their artwork will it be worth more. Please, Please DON'T. The events of the last 24hrs are a very unique piece of art history. #GirlWithBalloon
— MyArtBroker (@myartbroker) October 6, 2018
"I can't believe you moron's shred this..." 🤦♂️🧐https://t.co/hwSZlaWeRk
— MyArtBroker (@myartbroker) October 8, 2018
[via NME, opening image via Banksy]
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