Banksy’s artwork Love Is in the Bin partially shredded itself at auction in 2018.
The incident happened at Sotheby’s in London on 5 October 2018, immediately after a framed version of Girl with Balloon sold for £1.04 million. A hidden shredder inside the frame activated as the sale concluded, cutting the image into strips while leaving part of the canvas suspended below the frame.
Banksy later identified the transformed work as Love Is in the Bin. The title refers to the altered artwork rather than the original Girl with Balloon image. The work was subsequently authenticated and fitted with a new frame that preserved the shredded condition.
In 2021, Sotheby’s sold Love Is in the Bin for £18.6 million, far above the price of the original auction. The episode became a widely discussed example of performance, spectacle, and market value intersecting in contemporary art.