I threw away a painting that I didn't like anymore, and my brother-in-law fished it out and kept it. He loves it and hangs it in his coast house.
I got rid of other paintings that I liked but never sold and were returned to me from a very prestigious gallery in Carmel, CA. I traded them to a trade organization for a roll top desk. One of the paintings turned up in a garage sale which had a $3 price tag on it! I quietly bought it.
So, maybe it is better to destroy a painting that doesn't sell, or you don't like. At least you have control over its destiny!
