Banksy’s ‘self destructing painting’ the ‘PR stunt of the year’
The ‘self destructing’ painting by Banksy which shredded itself during an auction at Sotheby’s in London has been described as ‘the PR stunt of the year’ by one communications agency boss.
Banksy self destructing picture proclaimed PR stunt of the year
After selling at auction for £1.04m, the picture by the mysterious by highly celebrated street artist and political activist, began to shred itself through a mechanism hidden in the bottom of the frame. After shredding the bottom half, staff at the auctioneers removed it from the room.
The event took place in front of an aghast room with video of the self destruction going viral worldwide within hours of taking place.
The work ‘Girl With Balloon’ was created in 2006 as a spray paint on canvas. It was the last lot of Sotheby’s ‘Frieze Week’ evening which meant many in the room were filming the auction and captured the surprising events take place.
Banksy releases video revealing how he 'secretly' rigged one of his most celebrated works to self-destruct at auction after being sold for £1.04 million https://t.co/7P9Q9q4QP6 pic.twitter.com/ux9ansYrDJ
— ITV News (@itvnews) October 6, 2018
In response, Andrew Bloch, founder and managing partner of London comms agency Frank said: “This was the PR stunt of the year, in my opinion.”
He continued to praise: “Yet again Banksy continues to surprise and delight with his latest and arguably his finest stunt in a long history of anti-establishment statements. Meticulously planned and executed to perfection, the stunt grabbed global media attention, increasing his influence and his currency as an artist. In a world where everyone is trying to be famous, Banksy's anonymity has once again created its own invaluable buzz.”
Briefly, Banksy posted a video clip of creating the frame on Instagram before deleting it again soon after. The video was captured and shared on social media channels by other users however (see above).