Banksy

One of his paintings was set to be sold at Sotheby's, an auction house in London.

ONDON, England — Artist Banksy is known for his street art—and elaborate pranks.

He called Banksy's prank "a turning point in the history of contemporary and conceptual art."

Then, as an alarm sounded, the painting ran through a shredder embedded in the frame, leaving half the canvas hanging from the bottom in strips.

The video showed images of a shredder being implanted into a picture frame along with footage of the auction finale.

The video showed images of a shredder being implanted into a picture frame along with footage of the auction finale.

His mischievous and often satirical images include two policemen kissing, armed riot police with yellow smiley faces, and a chimpanzee with a sign bearing the words "Laugh now, but one day I'll be in charge."

His mischievous and often satirical images include two policemen kissing, armed riot police with yellow smiley faces, and a chimpanzee with a sign bearing the words "Laugh now, but one day I'll be in charge."

Auction House Puzzled "We have not experienced this situation in the past, where a painting spontaneously shredded, upon achieving a record for the artist," Branczik said.

ONDON, England — Artist Banksy is known for his street art—and elaborate pranks.

Koukjian, who has met Banksy, said he is sure he caught a glimpse of the artist in the sales room amid the confusion of the moment.

The auction house said it was "in discussion about the next steps" with the buyer, whose identity was not revealed.