Banksy's defaced ‘Broken Heart' wall painting up for sale
Almost as soon as Banksy revealed the piece back in 2013, an anonymous tagger brazenly walked up and spray painted the words 'Omar NYC' in red beside the balloon, to the dismay of onlookers.
Days later, someone stenciled 'is a little girl' in white and pink beside Omar's tag, followed by a seemingly sarcastic phrase in black: 'I remember MY first tag.' Some think it was Banksy himself who secretly returned to the scene to add the rejoinder.
The apparent graffiti battle didn't end there. Another tagger also attempted to leave his mark but was stymied by security guards. Today the phrase 'SHAN' is still visible in light purple paint.
Maria Georgiadis, whose family owned the now-demolished warehouse and ultimately removed the section of wall to preserve the artwork, says the graffiti pastiche is quintessentially New York.
'It looks like a war going on,' she said recently. 'They're literally going at it on the wall.'
The preserved wall, dubbed 'Battle to Survive a Broken Heart,' will be going up for sale May 21 at Guernsey's, the New York auction house.
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Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
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Time of India
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- Time of India
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Economic Times
12-07-2025
- Economic Times
Move over ghosting and breadcrumbing—‘Banksying' is the coldest breakup trend you didn't see coming
Live Events An emotional slow fade, not a clean break What Banksying reveals about modern dating culture (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A new term is making its way into the vocabulary of modern dating—and it's not one that inspires much phenomenon, called 'Banksying,' is drawing attention for its emotionally manipulative nature, where one partner checks out of a relationship long before saying a word, leaving the other stunned and heartbroken when the breakup finally in reference to the enigmatic street artist Banksy—known for his unexpected, self-destructive art—the term describes a breakup that unfolds quietly, emotionally, and one-sidedly. Much like the famous Banksy painting that shredded itself moments after being auctioned for $1.4 million, Banksying is a process of slow emotional sabotage. But in this case, the canvas is a term was recently spotlighted in a USA Today report, which described Banksying as a uniquely unsettling way to end a relationship—one that is marked by ambiguity, avoidance, and emotional withdrawal disguised as normalcy.'The person withdrawing gets the ability to process the breakup on their own terms, before they hand the memo to the other person who ends up being in total shock. It's selfish. It shows a lack of emotional maturity and a way of dealing with conflict that is rooted in avoidance,' said Amy Chan, dating coach and author of Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart, in her comments to USA ghosting—which is abrupt and unmistakable—Banksying is more covert. It involves subtle changes: decreased affection, vague excuses, emotional distancing. The partner doing the Banksying will often continue going through the motions, assuring everything is fine, even while emotionally withdrawing behind the silent unraveling leaves the other person in a state of confusion, often doubting their own instincts.'Banksying is something that we have all experienced at one point or another,' Emma Hathorn, relationship expert at told USA Today. 'Previously, there hasn't been a way to express that subtle feeling of dread when a partner has begun to pull away, essentially icing us out.'The emotional toll comes not just from the breakup itself, but from the way it unfolds. The ambiguity makes it harder to process and grieve.'They might lie and say everything is 'fine' but you also have to exert that you're not 'fine' because you can pick up the cues of emotional distance,' Chan told USA Today. 'Don't gaslight yourself into thinking it's OK to sweep the cold behavior under the rug just because they're saying everything is fine, but acting in a way that's completely the opposite.'In an era where conflict avoidance is rampant and communication often filtered through screens, Banksying reflects a broader trend of emotional unavailability and discomfort with directness.'It does highlight how conflict-avoidant people have become,' Chan told USA Today. 'It seems like there's less of an ability to tolerate uncomfortable emotions and hard conversations, so instead of dealing with the relationship challenges, or feeling the guilt of a breakup, people end up causing more harm by dragging things out.'The rise of dating apps and swipe culture may be feeding into this behavior, normalizing poor communication and low accountability in romantic relationships. Relationship experts say the answer lies in having the courage to be honest—even when it's difficult.'Modern dating is in desperate need of blunt honesty,' Hathorn said to USA Today. 'Being upfront, firm but polite shows that you know what you want and are unwilling to waste your time and a potential partner's time.'Banksying is less about artistic flair and more about emotional cowardice—a trend that leaves behind confusion instead of closure. And for the person on the receiving end, that can feel like the worst kind of heartbreak: one they never saw coming.
