An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s • Hacker News Board

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#31

Post by throw0101011 » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 6:57 AM UTC

emteycz wrote: post #27

throw0101011 wrote: post #25

Not referring to this specific exhibit but other pieces by a similar artist. Thousands of people can create this kind of paintings for cheap. That it still sells for more than what many people can make in a decade or a career means a stratospheric concentration of wealth in society or a bubble in the commercial art world. If there is real scarcity because of climate change or other widespread disaster, how much can a…

It is not artifact of any financial system, this would happen even if we had full communism, just illegally and with barter/favor payments. It is artifact of human nature.

With a different kind of accounting, people behaviors may change. The wealthy art consumers want status, prestige, and acceptance as one of the ‘cool’ crowd. Or when buying for investment, they expect some will buy from them for those effects.

If we make it much more prestigious and ‘cool’ for people to show off their equivalent donations to starving children, fewer will bid for the drawings and more will donate.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#32

Post by jfoutz » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:01 AM UTC

okket wrote: post #28

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if Leonardo had very publicly transformed it before he died?

An urn with the ashes of the painting would not be that much worth or admired now.

Sports rather than art, but this comment is vaguely reminiscent of cricket.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#33

Post by make3 » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:01 AM UTC

so what, in effect Banksy chose to shred 1.3M$? I understand he has a message etc, just curious if he really sacrificed so much for it

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#34

Post by codeulike » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:05 AM UTC

okket wrote: post #10

nayuki wrote: post #8

Some photos of the shredded art: https://hyperallergic.com/464419/1-3m-banksy-artwork-self-de... ; https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/sotheby-s-banksy-ed-as-... ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Std3LfVx41c

It stopped half way, to me it is more 'art' than before.

Yeah whoever bought that has probably made a profit already, its a lot more interesting now.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#35

Post by okket » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:08 AM UTC

make3 wrote: post #33

so what, in effect Banksy chose to shred 1.3M$? I understand he has a message etc, just curious if he really sacrificed so much for it

Banksy will get his money, but his artwork is now probably worth much more. So it is debatable if he succeeded with his intentions to criticise the commercialisation of art.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#36

Post by smhost » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:17 AM UTC

emteycz wrote: post #27

throw0101011 wrote: post #25

Not referring to this specific exhibit but other pieces by a similar artist. Thousands of people can create this kind of paintings for cheap. That it still sells for more than what many people can make in a decade or a career means a stratospheric concentration of wealth in society or a bubble in the commercial art world. If there is real scarcity because of climate change or other widespread disaster, how much can a…

It is not artifact of any financial system, this would happen even if we had full communism, just illegally and with barter/favor payments. It is artifact of human nature.

that's a pretty vapid statement. aren't all crimes an "artifact of human nature"? isn't everything we do and create, for that matter?

also, how would a stateless society even have the concept of legality?

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#37

Post by midnitewarrior » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:21 AM UTC

jypepin wrote: post #20

I wonder if legally the buyer can retract the buy? Although I'm sure it's worth more with that. Funny how Banksy, who was anti commercial things before as a street artist, now is obviously very torn being selling out and not. He is still selling out with this sale, but couldn't stop himself from trolling the buyer. I feel like I'd feel in a similar way - hard not to sell when so much money is in play.

It's not trolling, the work was a performance piece.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#38

Post by TomMarius » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:22 AM UTC

smhost wrote: post #36

emteycz wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not artifact of any financial system, this would happen even if we had full communism, just illegally and with barter/favor payments. It is artifact of human nature.

that's a pretty vapid statement. aren't all crimes an "artifact of human nature"? isn't everything we do and create, for that matter? also, how would a stateless society even have the concept of legality?

We're not talking about crimes, we're talking about desires. And yes, that's why blaming the financial system is wrong - nothing would change.

Stateless society can still have justice, courts, rules, police... It's just driven by someone else.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#39

Post by tonyedgecombe » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:26 AM UTC

make3 wrote: post #33

so what, in effect Banksy chose to shred 1.3M$? I understand he has a message etc, just curious if he really sacrificed so much for it

“You could argue that the work is now more valuable,” Branczik said.

Re: An artwork by Banksy shredded itself after selling for $1.3M at Sotheby’s

#40

Post by whoisjuan » Sat, Oct 06, 2018, 7:28 AM UTC

jypepin wrote: post #20

I wonder if legally the buyer can retract the buy? Although I'm sure it's worth more with that. Funny how Banksy, who was anti commercial things before as a street artist, now is obviously very torn being selling out and not. He is still selling out with this sale, but couldn't stop himself from trolling the buyer. I feel like I'd feel in a similar way - hard not to sell when so much money is in play.

The ultimate rebellion is rebelling against the rebellion.

Of course early believers were going to criticize him as a sell out, but Banksy's message and its embedded criticism of modern capitalism become even more powerful when monetized.

His art mocks and attacks the principles of a materialistic modern society, but strangely this makes it more attractive and valuable to that same society; this can only be described as an absurd and paradoxical logic. An example of their stupidity. The final irony.