Andy Murray missed out on an £18.5 million payday after his wife, Kim Sears, refused to bid further on a famous Banksy work. The tennis legend, 39, developed a passion for contemporary art during the latter stages of his career, before retiring in 2024.
Near-miss at Sotheby's auction
In October 2018, one of his favourite artists' most famous creations - Girl with Balloon (2006) - eluded him at Sotheby's auction in London. The two-time Olympic gold medallist asked his wife to bid for it remotely while he rehabilitated in a swimming pool in Philadelphia.
They set a maximum price, but the bidding went well above their cut-off point, leading Sears not to bid any further. The painting sold for £1,042,000, before anyone knew it was about to shred itself to create a new piece called Love Is In The Bin.
Shredding moment and record resale
Seconds after the hammer came down at the auction, the canvas began feeding through the shredder, which was concealed in the frame by the anonymous British street artist himself. The motor malfunctioned halfway through, leaving strips of limp canvas hanging out.
Murray later joked that he would have kept going if he had been bidding himself, which would have meant owning one of the most famous contemporary art pieces of the century. The shredded version sold again at Sotheby's for £18.5m just three years later, tripling its high estimate and setting a record for a Banksy work.
Murray's reflection
Speaking about what might have been, Murray told Harper's Bazaar earlier this year: "My favourite is Girl with Balloon – the shredded one. I was in Philadelphia in a swimming pool doing rehab and I asked Kim to bid on it remotely.
"It was probably a good thing she was the one bidding - I'd definitely have gone higher."
