The Auction

Sotheby's London sold the painting at auction on 5 October 2018, at an artist-record price of £1,042,000 (then equivalent to US$1,366,672 or €1,184,360). Within seconds of the gavel drop, the canvas began sliding out of the bottom of the frame and shredding itself to the audible sound of a siren and the surprise exclamations of attendees. The shredder stopped when the canvas was about half-way through; Banksy has said this stop was unplanned and that he intended to shred it completely.

The work was housed in a deep frame and was plugged in to facilitate built-in electrical lights, which also powered a shredding device hidden in the bottom edge. Sotheby's said they had no foreknowledge of the mechanism. Immediately after the sale, technicians from Banksy's representatives, Pest Control, deactivated the shredder, but the mechanics remained in the frame.