$100k handbag burned in the name of art

Francesca Eastwood has lit a fire of another kind after destroying this $100,000 handbag. Photo / Tyler Shields

Clint Eastwood's model daughter has stirred controversy after she and her photographer boyfriend publicly destroyed a US$100,000 Hermes Birkin bag - apparently in the name of 'art'.

Francesca Eastwood, 18, star of E! reality show Mrs Eastwood and Company, and her celebrity photographer beau Tyler Shields took a chainsaw to a (presumably authentic) crocodile skin version of the bag, before setting it alight for a photoshoot.

Shields posted the snaps on his official website over the weekend, along with a caption that read: "Destruction is a beautiful version of freedom ... Would you want this bag? Are you sad to see me destroy it?"

Some folk were sad, and a little bit mad ...

Commenters on Shields' site slammed the stunt as "disgusting", "offensive" and "deeply stupid and pretentious".

"This is incredibly insensitive to those in financial need, and, frankly, an embarrassment for the both of you. This is not artistry; it's a pathetic attempt at shock value," wrote one reader.

Said one, "Go and work for a living and see if you burn a 100k bag. Hell you wouldnt even be burning a 50 dollar bag. That is NOT art losers."

Fumed another: "In this economy, when people are going without everything, this is simply disgusting and very disrespectful!"

But some defended the expensive stunt.

Said, one, "What the media fails to do is point out all the charities Tyler has donated to, along with all of the other amazing things he has done. It's a lot easier to HATE someone when you don't know anything about them."

Watch footage of Shields prepping to destroy the bag here.

Eastwood has also been bombarded with angry comments and received a bunch of "death threats" on Twitter and Facebook, according to TMZ.

"Some of us actually have to work and live check 2 check, spoiled rotten b***h to burn 100k bag," one person wrote, according to the website.

"This is not art at all its just plain stupidity! She should have gotten a cheap Walmart or Target bag, would have made a lot more sense. Rich girls with nothing better to do than burn money," one user wrote on Facebook.

While others called her "ungrateful" for "wasting money when families can't eat".

Sources close to Eastwood told the website that while she expected some heat for the edgy shoot, she is surprised by the negative reaction.

According to the scandal sheet, Eastwood has reportedly been telling pals that "people just don't understand art".

* What say you, readers? Is it art?

Update: Shields has responded to the backlash.

"People spend 200k on an album cover, they spend millions on catering for movies, they spend money to create things - that is all I am doing with this," he told The Huffington Post.

He added, "For all the people who hate it, I get the same amount of emails from people who love it. Art is there for you to decide - you either get it, love it and embrace [it] or you hate it - and most people decide in 10 seconds."

- Blogger Bites Back