Banksy painting self destructs after $1.4 million sale

A work by the elusive street artist Banksy self-destructed just moments after it was sold for more than $1 million. "Girl With Balloon" started shredding in front of stunned auction-goers. CBS News' Lee Cowan explains.

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[DTRYMN]

He’s anti-consumerism, why is the idea of him messing with the biggest group of consumers so hard for reporters to understand?

[sniperwolf]

And the thing is the scrap will sell for more now at a modern arts exibit!

[nadinnnaaahhh]

The painting killed itself because it could not stand the people 😂

[hackattack]

The guy was probably like, damn this picture is heavy.

[barrykaine]

Oh, dat pranksy Banksy! - (He was probably at the auction, with a remote control, hence the perfect timing.)

[bitbandit]

Involving himself in it further has only increased its value further. There is literally nothing Banksy couldn't do to this image that wouldn't increase its value to its bidders. I'd be shocked if Banksy didn't realize that when he planned this, so IDK what the point of it was ultimately UNLESS to point out that these people will literally pay extra for it to be destroyed as long as the person orchestrating it is the original artist. Or to just give us a funny image which most people aren't in the position to be able to do.

It would need to be destroyed by somebody uninvolved with Banksy or wrecked in an accidental fire or something for it to actually lose any value.

Overall, watching their reactions to it being shredded is fun, but I think it'd be even more fun to see their reactions if it were destroyed in a way that left NO REMNANTS so that there is literally nothing left to value. (I suspect even a pile of ashes would still have some value) It'd be fun to see if they would be willing to go so far as to sell the ownership of the ex-painting without any remnants.

[vatolorde]

when the action of the statement is more art than the actual material item

[goalie]

Who in their mind pays 1.4 million for that painting?

[jjgems]

It would have been more epic if it caught flame or went through a rotating shredder lol

[snowmanrainmaker]

Well today they sold the very same painting for 21.8 million dollars

[carolechapla]

The thicknthess of the frame should have meant something.Very cool.

[johnshorba]

look how the painting is shifted slightly from inside the frame to outside, maybe it didn't shred it might be another one inside

[shanerollins]

This is going up for sale very soon. Estimated value: $8 million.

[le]

the only true question if is that painting its more valuable now...

[prowlerjesse]

Why do I feel like they knew this was going to happen?

[PeppDesign]

I think it’s interesting that only the little girl was shred, and the heart balloon is left to float away. Especially with the past week’s political events.

[fernandog.]

1:41 lol like if she just saw something mind blowing

[LivvieLynn]

For not even knowing what an Uber is, Owen Wilson is pretty tech savvy. 😶

[rieriec.]

Just saw on tv it may be worth MORE NOW.
KINDA backfired....depending on the point he was trying to make.

[teddybee]

I saw this on Instagram and thought it was a stunt omfg