From 14 February to 13 April 2025, Banksy's world-famous "Girl Without Balloon" (fka "Love Is In The Bin"), the shredded artwork of the girl with a heart balloon, will be on display at the MUCA Bunker in Munich. Few works have caused such a stir in the art world and beyond.
The then titled "Girl With Balloon" was the last lot of Sotheby's prestigious London evening auction in October 2018 and had an estimate of £200,000 - £300,000. After a competitive bidding process, the work was sold for just over £1,000,000. However, shortly after the hammer fell on the final bid, a siren sounded amidst the hustle and bustle in the auction room and the painting began to spectacularly shred through the lower part of its frame. After more than half of the painting had been cut into strips, it was taken away by excited staff and a media frenzy began.
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After the auction, the sensational news was amplified by Banksy's use of social media. The artist published a post of the half-shredded work with the caption "Going, going, gone" and called the work "Love Is In The Bin". He also uploaded a video in which he revealed details of the action.
The destruction of the artwork gave it even greater significance. In 2021, the work was auctioned again, this time as "Love Is In The Bin". At an equally spectacular auction, this time with the shredder safely deactivated, the work changed hands again for over £18 million. After the auction, the work was renamed again by the artist: "Girl Without Balloon".
With his "art stunt", Banksy has not only successfully undermined the status quo of the auction world, but also the interpretation of his own artwork. The "kitsch emblem of pathos" was destroyed and the artwork left behind embodies a veiled critique of the inherent realities of the capitalist society that had produced the new work itself.
For the MUCA, it is a matter of principle to show the original work for the first time. Because in contrast to the many internet images and plagiarisms, the original "Girl Without Balloon" is to be understood as a tangible reminder of the conflicting values and principles that define today's society.
The expectation is that those who stand before this work, now or in the future, will take a moment to reflect on the fact that "Girl Without Balloon" is itself a symbol of how thoughtful action can, in a single moment, overturn the conventional framework that constrains change and development.
The shredder artwork stands for the idea that not only the parameters of art, but perhaps also the social structure of today or tomorrow can be redefined.
