Banksy sells for record-breaking £18.5 MILLION

It went up for sale last night.

Banksy Love Is In The Bin at Sotherby's
Author: Abbie ChesherPublished 15th Oct 2021
Last updated 15th Oct 2021

The Banksy artwork 'Love Is In The Bin' has sold for a record-breaking £18.5 million.

That's more than 18 times what it sold for three years ago - when it went viral for self-shredding immediately after the sale in London.

It had originally been thought the work by the Bristol artist would fetch between £4 and 6m.

The piece was renamed after the original - called 'Girl With Balloon' - shredded itself after being sold at Sotheby's three years ago.

The artwork caused a social media outburst, with many people questioning whether the Bristol artist was in the room at the time of the sale.

A picture even emerged from the artist's Instagram which captured the moment that the artwork shredded itself.

According to Sotheby's, it is "the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction."

Ahead of the sale, the official listing for the auction on the Sotheby's website described the piece of art:

"Love Is In The Bin signed on the reverse. Spray paint and acrylic on canvas mounted on board, framed by the artist. Decommissioned, remote controlled shredding mechanism remains in the frame. This work is unique. This work is accompanied by a Pest Control Certificate of Authenticity."

Pest Control is the name of Banksy's representatives, who will often confirm and validate his artwork - with the artist himself being notorious for keeping his identity a secret.

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