New Banksy auction confirmed with promise no works will shred or explode

The anonymous graffiti artist’s painting Girl With A Balloon self-destructed after being sold for more than £1 million at Sotheby’s, dropping through a shredder in its frame.

Auctioneers have promised no more stunts as they look to sell off Slave Labour, which features a young boy creating bunting at a sewing machine.

It was believed to be a rebuke of the use of sweatshop labour to produce celebratory products for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics in 2012.

Julien’s Auctions have said that the piece is perfectly safe as are other Banksy pieces open to bidding.

Darren Julien, president of Julien’s Auctions, said: “We can’t guarantee that our four Banksy’s will automatically shred or explode but they will sell to the highest bidder.”

Julien’s Auctions confirmed the plans to accept bids for Banksy’s work after the artist destroyed some of his work in a stunt soon after it was sold for just over 1 million on October 6 at Sotheby’s in London.

It passed through a shredder seemingly built into the frame which held it. The artist posted the moment on his Instagram with a comment reading “Going, going, gone”.

The Slave Labour mural first appeared on the side of a Poundland Building in the Wood Green area of London, and is valued at around £600,000.

It will go to auction on November 19 in Los Angeles, alongside other works by the mysterious street artist.

Crazy Horse, priced around £95,000, will be auctioned off alongside TV Girl, £45,000, and Applause, valued at around £7,000.

TV Girl appeared at a Burger King in the artist’s hometown of Bristol, Crazy Horse was installed in New York.