‘Love is in the bin’ is an epic piece of art created by Banksy and the original version was sold for $1.4 million at an auction in 2018. As soon as the sale was complete, the artwork that had a ‘Girl With Balloon’ started shredding right away. The partly shredded piece was again placed for auction at Sotheby’s auction house and was sold for a whopping $25.3 million. This sale in October 2021 broke the original records of Banksy’s painting showing a boy playing with a toy nurse as a superhero. In March 2021, the boy playing with a toy nurse as a superhero was sold for $20 million.

Originally, this self-destructing art piece was estimated to be auctioned for no more than $8.2 million.  But the undisclosed buyer won the piece after a ten-minute bidding war amongst nine other bidders. Since the sale of ‘Love is in the Bin’ by Banksy it has been on display at Germany’s Museum Frieder Burda and the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart.

Who is Banksy?

Banksy is no stranger amongst art lovers and to media. Every piece of art created by Banksy has made headlines. For those of you who are not familiar with Banksy, he is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director. He has always kept his identity anonymous and made sure that his art speaks volumes. In the 1900s, Banksy’s creations were first noticed on trains and walls that were spray-painted.

If you closely observe his art, you’ll notice that Banksy has chosen to use stencils and there was a lot of influence by French graffiti artist called Blek le Rat. Banksy’s creations aren’t just limited to street art, but he has also created several incredible high-value drawings, paintings, and installation pieces. This reclusive British artist is also the creator of the theme park called Dismaland.

The Self-Destructing Painting

While many art enthusiasts argue that shredding his most popular artwork was a publicity stunt that was arranged in association with the auction house, Banksy has denied it. In a video, Banksy explains that he had secretly installed a shredder with the framed artwork. And the intention was to destroy it if it was ever to go on auction. The painting was a recreation of the iconic image which features a girl releasing a red balloon that was spray-painted on a building in East London in 2002. The art represented a powerful message of childhood and freedom. Depending on your perspective, the meaning could be depicted as loss of innocence or the arrival of new hope and love.

Banksy has always created a whirlwind with artistic creations and this legendary piece is an impeccable one that will be remembered in art history.