Perhaps the most famous piece among Banksy's expansive oeuvre is his shredded art piece called "Girl with Ballon," a painting which was destroyed by a built-in shredder hidden in its wooden frame after its sale was confirmed at a 2018 Sotheby's live auction in London.
It was previously dubbed "Love is in the Bin" following the stunt pulled after the hammer fell, however, Banksy's art studio Pest Control quietly told the auction house of a new name and dating, according to a report by The Art Newspaper. This marks the second time such a decision was enforced.
Behind the New Changes to the Famed Banksy Piece
Sotheby's was notified of the change amid their organization of the "Love in Paradise: Banksy and Keith Haring" exhibition at Incheon's Paradise Art Space in South Korea in August of last year. That said, the artist's studio did not offer an explanation behind the new name choice.
The 2006 Banksy piece self-destructed back in October 2018 during its initial sale at a Sotheby's salesroom, when the secret tearing mechanism was engaged as the winning bid was announced, as per the New York Times.
Following the incident, Pest Control renamed the now-half-destroyed piece as "Love is in the Bin" and changed its date of creation to 2018. After a week-long negotiation with the auction house, the proper documentation was produced along with a new certificate of authenticity.
Sotheby's then proceeded to close the purchase with a £1.04 million, or $1 million, final price in addition to its usual operational fees.
In October 2021, the then-named "Love is in the Bin" made a return to Sotheby's auction lots and was eventually sold for a record-breaking $25.3 million, complete with the additional fees.
Following the deal, the piece's title was once again changed to "Girl Without Balloon" alongside a date change to 2021. It is still unclear whether or not the new changes will necessitate or have necessitated new documentation and certificate of authenticity.
Nick Buckley Wood, Sotheby's Director of Private Sales, told the art publication that, "physically" speaking, there has always been just one work. He added: "But the [title change] implies that the work changed status in the mind of the artist."
