“Girl with Balloon”? Can someone please explain the art world to me????

There are some things in life that I just plain old don’t get.

Right on top of that list I’d have to place Banksy.

Actually, it’s not Banksy who I don’t get. He – Banksy is an anonymous British mostly graffiti artist (and I’m saying “he” here because I’m guessing the odds that Banksy is a man are pretty good; 6-nines if not better) - who’s parlayed his talent, attitude, wit, snark, lack of respect for the pompous and overblown art establishment, and outright anarchy into a fortune. Good on him!

It’s the folks who buy in who I just don’t get.

As an artist, I don’t find Banksy all that great shakes.

Here’s his “Girl with Balloon.”

Now I hate to sound like one of those philistines who looks at a Rothko color field painting and says ‘what’s the big deal? I could do that.’ But there is something kind of ‘best artist in eighth grade’ about Banksy’s work. A couple of steps above one of those ‘draw the pirate’ contests:

But that’s just me. Banksy? He’s the multi-millionaire artiste.

Not to mention that he seems to be having a boat-load of fun making fun:

On Friday night, Banksy’s “Girl with Balloon” sold for $1.37 million at a Sotheby’s auction in London. Moments after the last hammer hit the podium, a shredder stealthily installed in the frame ribboned the painting, as stunned bidders watched in shock (a few in amusement) and assistants struggled to get the work off the wall and prevent further damage. (Source: Fortune)

If you’re thinking that this shredding o’ the work of art might, say, compromise the sale, you would be dead wrong.

The woman who bought the picture is all in.

“When the hammer came down last week and the work was shredded, I was at first shocked, but gradually I began to realize that I would end up with my own piece of art history,” said the woman, according to The Guardian. (Source: Fortune, again.)

Weird enough to me that someone’s willing to pay nearly $1.4 million for this work, which is as much about the hot air of art speculation as it is about any intrinsic worth of the piece. Don’t see this one standing the test of masterpiece time.

So here’s the shredding in action. I will note that the embedded shredder is one of those one-strip shredders, not one that turns paper into confetti. And it’s not like what was shredded was, say, a Rothko color field painting. But a valuable piece of art was shredded nonetheless.

There’s speculation that Sotheby’s was in on the “prank”, but both the auction house and Banksy are denying it.

Anyway, someone who can afford to spend nearly $1.4M on a piece of art, and hang on to it after it’s destroyed, obviously knows something about money. At least about spending it. In this case, she may also know something about making it.

Since it was sold last Saturday, the work has supposedly doubled in price.

Well, hats off to Banksy. I can’t even figure out to monetize a blog, and here a pedestrian work of schlock doubles in price after it’s shredded.

There are some things in life that I just plain old don’t get.