Don’t bother trying to see Banksy’s latest artwork.
It’s already been smashed to smithereens in what appears to be the latest prank by the elusive British street artist.
On Wednesday, Banksy confirmed on Instagram that he was behind the painting of a boy appearing to open the curtains of a bricked-up window of an abandoned farmhouse in Kent, southeast England.
But the final of three pictures shared on the platform showed the artwork in rubble after being destroyed by construction crews who are clearing the area to build new properties.
So, the art ― titled “Morning Is Broken” ― was obliterated before anyone knew it was by him, likely exactly as he’d planned.
The workers who annihilated the piece said they were completely unaware.
“We had no idea it was a Banksy. It made me feel sick realizing it was a Banksy — we were gutted,” one contractor, George Caudwell, told the KentOnline website. “The landowner watched us do it and didn’t know either.”
The elements of the artwork, including the corrugated metal pieces that were transformed into curtains, are currently being kept on-site.
Given how some of Banksy’s works have sold for millions of dollars, someone may still be able somehow to turn a profit on them.
It’s not the first time Banksy has toyed with destroying his own work, from that self-shredding auction stunt to actor Christopher Walken’s painting over of one of his trademark rats for “The Outlaws” TV show.