Banksy’s Notorious Shredded artwork receives a new title and date once again

The renowned Banksy artwork that was shredded during an auction has undergone a second renaming and has been assigned a new date. Originally titled Girl with Balloon, the piece was rechristened Love is in the Bin by Banksy’s authentication body, Pest Control, following its unexpected self-destruction at a Sotheby’s live auction in 2018.

Sotheby’s became aware of the latest name alteration while preparing for the “Love in Paradise: Banksy and Keith Haring” exhibit at Paradise Art Space in Incheon, South Korea, which took place last August. The Art Newspaper reported that Pest Control did not provide a rationale for the change in title.

When Girl with Balloon, created in 2006, went up for sale in October 2018, it famously sabotaged itself in the Sotheby’s London auction room when a concealed shredder within its frame was triggered at the moment of the final bid.

In response, Pest Control adjusted the title to Love is in the Bin and updated the creation date to 2018. After a week of discussions with Sotheby’s, a revised certificate of authenticity was issued. The auction house persuaded the buyer to finalize the purchase at the original price of £1.04 million (approximately $1 million), in addition to fees.

The artwork, now known as Love is in the Bin, reappeared at Sotheby’s in London in October 2021. It achieved a record sale price of £16 million (which amounted to £18.5 million or $25.3 million with fees). Subsequently, the piece was re-titled Girl Without Balloon and assigned a new date of 2021. It remains uncertain if a fresh certificate of authenticity was provided.