Why does Banksy destroy his art?

Banksy doesn’t routinely destroy all of his art. Perhaps the most famous instance occurred in 2018 when Girl with Balloon (2006), a canvas version of one of Banksy’s most popular murals, seemingly self-destructed by partly shredding just after selling for $1.4 million at Sotheby’s. In that case, the work’s destruction was part of a deliberate artistic statement against the commercialization of the art world. By shredding a painting right after it sold, Banksy challenged ideas of ownership, value, and the role of money in art.