Auctioned Thursday, October 14 in London,
La Fille au Ballon
, the work of the artist Banksy whose partial self-destruction caused a sensation three years ago, is about to fly off at a sale at Sotheby's. This version of
The Girl with Ball
, renamed
Love is in the trash
(
Love is in the bin
), is estimated at between 4 and 6 million pounds (between 4.6 and 7 million euros), according to the house of sales. The expected price, likely to be exceeded, is four to six times higher than that which had been reached during the original sale to an anonymous collector, who is preparing to carry out a very fine operation.
See also Banksy loses a lawsuit and sees its trademarks threatened
The work's last appearance at an auction in 2018 had caused amazement around the world.
No sooner had the hammer sounded when a crusher concealed in the frame had shredded the lower half of the canvas, which depicts a little girl releasing a red heart-shaped balloon, leaving only the balloon intact. White background.
With this resounding action, which had caused a real earthquake in the art world, the street artist aimed to denounce the “commodification” of art.
The "most spectacular artistic happening of the 21st century"
In its press release announcing the sale, Sotheby's called the destruction
"the most spectacular artistic happening of the 21st century"
, placing it in the
"legacy of anti-establishment art that began with
(the)
Dada and Marcel Duchamp movement"
.
“During that surreal evening three years ago, I accidentally became the privileged owner of
Love is in the Trash,” recalled the buyer, quoted in the Sotheby's press release announcing the sale,
“but it is now time to part with it ”
.
Even before this global notoriety,
La Fille au Ballon
, which first appeared in 2002 as a stenciled graffiti on a wall on the south bank of London, had already been named as the favorite work of art of the British. .
On Friday, a diptych version of
La Fille au Ballon
will be auctioned, also in the British capital, this time at Christie's.
Produced in 2005, the canvas in two parts is estimated between 2.5 and 3.5 million pounds sterling (between 2.9 and 4.1 million euros).
See also Banksy exhibition in Seoul arouses public anger
Since this stroke of brilliance, Banksy has panicked auctions where his works are reaching records. Last March,
Game Changer
, a canvas honoring caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic, sold at Christie's for 16.75 million pounds (19.5 million euros). Banksy became known for a series of graffiti appearing on buildings. The Bristol-born artist, who maintains the mystery of his identity, likes to provoke and give food for thought. In 2005, he made the graffiti
The Flower Thrower
on a wall in Jerusalem, depicting a masked protester about to throw a bouquet of flowers.
The artist also uses his graffiti bomb to demonstrate his opposition to Brexit, his support for migrants, or to warn of the climate emergency.