When Banksy's most iconic painting suddenly shredded itself after being bought at Sotheby's last night there were audible gasps around the auction room.
Shocked bidders and auction staff feared that the painting, just purchased for £1,042,000, and lying in tatters was worthless.
But experts now say that last night's stunt may have actually doubled the value of The Girl With Balloon because of the huge interest it generated.
Immediately after the auction Alex Branczik, Sotheby's senior director and head of contemporary art in Europe said: 'It appears we just got Banksy-ed.
But today Joey Syer, co-founder of MyArtBroker, said: 'The auction result will only propel this further and given the media attention this stunt has received, the lucky buyer would see a great return on the £1.04million they paid last night.
Banksy posted the moment of the stunt on Instagram with the caption 'Going, going, gone...'
'This is now part of art history in its shredded state and we'd estimate Banksy has added at a minimum 50% increase to it's value, possibly as high as being worth £2million plus.'
As the sale concluded to a phone buyer the canvas suddenly passed through a remotely activated shredder installed in the frame and an alarm went off.
Posting a picture of the moment on Instagram, Banksy wrote: 'Going, going, gone...'
The artwork was photographed dangling in pieces from the bottom of the frame as auctioneers removed it from the wall.
The Girl With Balloon, which was signed and acquired from Banksy by a mystery buyer in 2006, was the final piece auctioned in a contemporary art sale on Friday night.
The framed stencil painting is one of Banksy's most recognised murals, and the original appeared on a shop wall in east London, depicting a girl reaching towards a heart-shaped balloon.
The Girl With Balloon, one of Banksy's most famous works, shredded itself as it sold for almost £1m
It is not known who the successful bidder is but Sotheby's said they are talking to them and that they were 'surprised' by the bizarre stunt.
Alex Branczik, Sotheby's senior director and head of contemporary art in Europe said: 'It appears we just got Banksy-ed.
'We have talked with the successful purchaser who was surprised by the story.
'We are in discussion about next steps.'
Bidders were shocked when an alarm went off and suddenly the artwork began to shred itself
The auction house admitted they had been 'Banksy-ed' after the painting self-destructed
Sotheby's described the work ahead of the sale as 'authenticated by Pest Control', the handling services organisation that acts on Banksy's behalf. It was signed and dedicated on the reverse and had been acquired by the vendor directly from the artist in 2006, the auction house said.
Girl With Balloon: Banksy's iconic artwork
Girl With Balloon is one of graffiti artist Banksy's most famous murals.
The imagery was first spotted on the wall of a shop in 2002, in Great Eastern Street, east London.
It features just two simple shapes, with the statement: 'There is always hope'.
The girl depicts a Syrian refugee, an imagery which Banksy uses many times in his murals.
The iconic mural was last year voted the nation's favourite artwork.
The image was chosen above the likes of Constable's Hay Wain and Jack Vettriano's Singing Butler.
The image of the girl was also set to be being removed the London shop andsold in 2014.
Events company Sincura Group, which controversially removed another Banksy mural in Tottenham, said would exhibited the work before selling it for about £500,000.
A man who works in the printing shop said in he had not seen the Banksy mural for more than 12 years because it was been covered with boards.
In March 2015, the third anniversary of the Syria conflict, Banksy reworked the painting to depict a Syrian refugee and added #WithSyria.
The image was later projected on the Eiffel Tower and Nelson's column in Paris.
Justin Bieber famously got the image tattooed on his arm, which was blasted by Banksy himself.
A Facebook page which is thought to represent the mysterious Banksy posted a photo of the ink with the caption: 'controversial.'
A version of the artwork painted onto the cardboard backing of an Ikea frame sold for £73,250 in 2012.
However, there is speculation that the shredded art could be fake. It is not known who bought the work from Banksy in 2006 and whether or not they were in on the stunt.
One person on Twitter said: 'It's not shredded. It's still rolled up inside the frame. A pre-torn canvas rolled out from behind the one in front that is rolled up behind itself.'
It would appear that Sotheby's did not know about the stunt, though, nor the buyer who now simply owns shreds of paper. Whether or not he or she will still have to pay the huge price is also unclear.
But some people on social media claim that Sotheby's was actually involved in the prank.
One said: 'How did all of the experts at Sotheby's who evaluated the piece fail to notice the piece contained a shredding mechanism?'
People online also thought that Banksy's prank was a rebellious statement against the art world because his pieces are made to be 'experienced' and not owned.
One person on Twitter said: 'Banksy was clearly making a statement about anyone who thinks you can actually own his art. He’s essentially saying art is free and isn’t meant to be owned'
Celebrities were quick to pay tribute to the unusual prank on Twitter.
Broadcaster Jeremy vine posted on Twitter: 'This is incredible.'
Star of Dragons Den Deborah Meaden said: 'Banksy is officially the coolest, most poignant person on Earth. Of course it’s a publicity stunt but it’s publicising the sheer insanity of where we place our values.'
Present Richard Bacon said: 'It must be a lot of fun being Banksy. Making a (theatrical) point about art that no one else in art can make.'
Art critic Jerry Saltz said: 'I never much liked Banksy’s art and act. This I love. I am yours Banksy.'
Banksy is a Bristol-born artist whose true identity - despite rampant speculation - has never been officially revealed.
He came to prominence through a series of graffiti pieces that appeared on buildings across the country, marked by deeply satirical undertones.
The self-destruction was the latest in a long history of anti-establishment statements by the street artist.
Other recent works included the opening of Dismaland, his dystopian, Disneyland-esque theme park in 2015, which he described as a 'family theme park unsuitable for children'.
A Banksy stencil of Max Clifford in Bloomfield Place, London. The artist favours controversial pieces to make a statement
Since Banksy made his name with his trademark stencil-style 'guerrilla' art in public spaces - on walls in London, Brighton, Bristol and even on the West Bank barrier separating Israelis and Palestinians - his works have sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
He has dozens of celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera.
He is also known for his headline-making stunts, such as leaving an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo prisoner in Disneyland, California, and hanging a version of the Mona Lisa - but with a smiley face - in the Louvre, Paris.
A piece by Banksy, during the press view for the artist's biggest show to date, entitled 'Dismaland', at Tropicana in Western-super-Mare, Somerset
But perhaps his most provocative statement, and the one that generates the most publicity, is the fact that Banksy's true identity has always been a jealously guarded secret, known to only a handful of trusted friends.
A network of myths has grown up around him including that his real name is Robin Banks or the he used to be a butcher.
There is also the rumour that his parents don't know what he does, believing him to be an unusually successful painter and decorator.
Then there's the suggestion that Banksy is actually a collective of artists and doesn't exist at all.
Such is the curiosity about Banksy that when he threw a pizza box into a bin in Los Angeles, the box resurfaced on auction site eBay, with the seller suggesting that the few anchovies left inside might yield traces of his DNA.
Artwork by British artist Banksy opposite the French Embassy, in London. The artwork depicts the young girl from the musical Les Miserables with tears streaming from her eyes as a can of CS gas lies beneath her
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News Pictures Art experts say iconic Banksy painting Girl with Balloon that shredded is now worth DOUBLE
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