What is the title of the Banksy painting that self-destructed at Sotheby's in 2018?

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What is the title of the Banksy painting that self-destructed at Sotheby’s in 2018? The painting was Girl with Balloon.

On 5 October 2018, a framed 2006 version of Girl with Balloon sold at Sotheby’s in London for £1.042 million. Moments after the auction ended, a shredder concealed inside the frame began cutting the artwork into strips. Only the lower portion was shredded, leaving the image partly intact.

Banksy revealed that the mechanism had been secretly built into the frame, turning the auction into a performance and a commentary on the art market. The buyer chose to complete the purchase, and the partially shredded work was later authenticated and given the new title Love Is in the Bin. That title is a common source of confusion: Girl with Balloon is the original artwork’s title, while Love Is in the Bin refers to the altered post-auction object. The work later sold again for £18 million in 2021.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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