One day a young man came to the door. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but your son gave his life for me. I know I’m not a great artist, but I painted this for you.” The father opened the package. The portrait, although not brilliant, captured the personality of his son perfectly. He hung it over his mantle-piece. 

Perhaps you saw the news item about the Banksy painting that shredded itself after being bought at auction?

Banksy, real name unknown, is an anarchic artist whose graffiti work often provides a provocative critique of society—whether it is a peace dove wearing a bullet-proof vest, or a Mona Lisa with a rocket launcher.

His painting ‘Girl With Balloon’ was the final item in an auction at Sotheby’s on Friday night and went for £1.04m. As the hammer came down, the frame came to life, and the canvas began to pass through a shredder before appearing in strips out of the base.

Banksy posted an image on Instagram of the shredded work, and the shocked faces of those in attendance, with the caption “Going, going, gone… ”.

Imagine having spent £1.04 million and seeing your prize turned into rubbish.

I heard a story about another painting. A wealthy man and his son collected art—everything from Picasso to Raphael. When war broke out, the son signed up, but was killed in battle. One day a young man came to the door. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but your son gave his life for me. I know I’m not a great artist, but I painted this for you.”

The father opened the package. The portrait, although not brilliant, captured the personality of his son perfectly. He hung it over his mantle-piece. Every visitor to his home was shown that painting before they saw any of the other great works.

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