Today's Edition
A.SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
Visitors to the four-day Collectors’ Week Abu Dhabi will have the rare opportunity to view one of the most iconic artworks of the 21st century: Banksy’s self-shredding masterpiece, now titled “Girl Without Balloon”.
The piece, which shocked the world when it partially shredded itself at a 2018 Sotheby’s auction moments after the gavel came down, will be showcased in the non-selling exhibition section of the event — meaning it will be on display only, not available for purchase.
Staged in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Collectors’ Week will present over $1 billion worth of fine art and luxury objects, either exhibited or offered at auction. The event will run from December 2 to 5 at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, with public exhibitions beginning December 2 and culminating in live auctions on December 5.
Banksy’s “Girl Without Balloon” — originally known as "Girl With Balloon” and briefly retitled "Love Is in the Bin” after the shredding — became a global sensation when the artist’s concealed shredding mechanism activated immediately after the work was sold at Sotheby’s London in October 2018. The spectacle made headlines around the world and was described by Sotheby’s as “the first artwork in history to be created during a live auction.”
In 2021, the partially shredded piece sold again for £18.58 million (about $25.4 million), setting Banksy’s all-time auction record.
Banksy is an anonymous British street artist, widely considered one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in contemporary art. Known for satirical, politically charged stencilled works appearing on public walls around the world, Banksy’s identity has never been officially confirmed, despite decades of speculation. The anonymity has become a defining part of the artist’s appeal, and major institutions avoid attributing gender, typically referring to Banksy simply as “the artist".
