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

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

#131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Why Explore Space? A 1970 Letter to a Nun in Africa" http://myscienceacademy.org/2012/08/13/why-explore-space-a-1... NASA Associate director Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger elaborates on this topic.

That's a famously unconvincing argument.

How so?

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

#132
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if the buyer just loved the piece of art prior and now hates it? I liked the before. The new “art” to me is crap. Art is subjective right? Not all art is purchased for its value. But the emotional connection one has for it. And such.

If you don't like it you can either return it and maybe get your money back, or sue, or whatever, or try selling it for much more. I am not even sure an assurance would cover this case, because it is obviously still there, and worth more, presumably.

right. But if the buyer bought the piece because they just want to see it in their home, and now don't like anymore, then it is ruined for them, even if they can sell it for more money :)

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

#133

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…

There is an obvious political response to the question of "why is contemporary art what it is?" Some contemporary pieces sell for more than works by the ancient masters, sometimes at the astonishment of the public ("how can an ugly piece of burnt wood sell for more than a Goya painting?").

As art is exempted of taxes in most parts of the world, this is an obvious vehicle for tax evasion, money laundering, speculation and financial crime. That's why so many things that the common man would deem "bad jokes" are supposed to be "art": because it's financially useful for the rich and the powerful. It's (mostly) a sham, not to say a swindle.

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

#136
post #124

This is just so impressive to me. That this was set in motion in 2006 with the engineering and frame design and executed perfectly 12 years later is just so magnificent I’m almost tearing up. The way the it was shredded and stopping halfway allows the piece to still be hung, and in my mind, this massively increases the notoriety and value of the piece. To prank Sotheby’s like this at the moment that the auctioneers g…

It's unlikely this was planned in 2006. That's a pretty big assumption to make.

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

#137
post #119

This is a well orchestrated publicity stunt. A reputed auction house like Sotheby's would never put an item up before thoroughly checking and documenting it. Post this stunt, the artwork will now be valued much higher than what it sold for at this auction. Banksy has been known for such ingenious and clever marketing stunts.

Please tell me which other ingenious and clever marketing stunts Banksy, the anti-capitalist artist who refuses to allow his work or even prints (with rare exceptions) to be sold is known for?

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

#139
post #64

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…

> 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. Not really. The level of wealth required to reasonably make a purchase like this is what? 20 m…

I don't think two orders of magnitude is a reasonable level of wealth inequality.

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

#140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It looks like the battery ran out, it didn't completely shred.

Or maybe that was intentional so it's still "in one piece" and you can still hang it at the wall? That at least was my first thought.

Yeah definitely, some thought went into this for sure ;-) If destruction was the intention, it would have happened.
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