Bidder For Banksy’s “The banality of the banality of evil” Backs Out

The banality of the banality of evil"
The banality of the banality of evil”

The man who used the tag “gorpetri” to make the winning bid of $615,000 for the painting Banksy modified and retitled, “The banality of the banality of evil,” reneged on his bid once the auction was over, according to the New York Times.

What happened next has caused some controversy in New York. Rachel Hirschfeld, an art collector whose bid of $614,800 was right behind the gorpetri bid, said she got a call on Nov. 1 from an auction official about the painting, the Times reports.

“She said, ‘You win the Banksy,’ ” Ms. Hirschfeld told the Times. “I said, ‘Why? Somebody bid more than me.’ She said, ‘He’s out.’ ”

Hirschfeld didn’t think it fair to pay the full price since she’d been bidding against an insincere bidder — obviously, in retrospect, gorpetri’s bids were not genuine. “Every bid that he made has to be out,” Hirschfeld told the Times.

Ultimately another bidder got the painting, but the auction house won’t reveal the new selling price. However, it was over $400,000, according to Hirschfeld, who told the Times she offered $400,000 and lost out to a higher offer.

For more on this story, head to the New York Times.

If you missed my previous Banksy posts, here’s an easy way to check them out: Day one, day two, day three, day four, day five, day six, day seven, day eight, day nine, day ten, day 11, day 12, day 13, day 14, day 15, day 16, day 17, day 18, day 19, day 20, day 21, day 22, day 23, day 24, day 25, day 26, day 27, day 28, day 29, day 30, day 31. Plus: “A Consideration Of The Politics Of Banksy’s Syria Video,” “Source For Banksy’s ‘Concrete Confessional’ Revealed,” “Banksy Update: NYC Mayor Attacks Street Artist,” and “Banksy Painting Sells For $615,000.”

About Michael Goldberg

Michael Goldberg is a distinguished pioneer in the online music space; Newsweek magazine called him an ‘Internet visionary.’ In 1994 he founded Addicted To Noise (ATN), the highly influential music web site. He was a senior vice-president and editor in chief at SonicNet from March 1997 through May 2000. In 1997, Addicted To Noise won Webby awards for best music site in 1998 and 1999, and also won Yahoo Internet Life! awards for three years running as best music site in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Prior to starting Addicted To Noise, Goldberg was an editor and senior writer at Rolling Stone magazine for 10 years. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Esquire, Vibe, Details, Downbeat, NME and numerous other publications. Michael has had three novels published that comprise the "Freak Scene Dream trilogy": "True Love Scars," "The Flowers Lied" and "Untitled" which can be ordered here. His new book, "Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey," can be pre-ordered from HoZac Books. In November Backbeat Books will publish "Addicted To Noise: The Music Writings of Michael Goldberg," which can be be pre-ordered here.

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