Banksy’s Heartfelt Artwork Sells For Millions At Christie’s
Marking his most costly work to date, all proceeds will be donated to health and wellbeing charities
The mysterious street artist and political activist Banksy has just sold a painting dedicated to Britain’s National Health Service for over $20 million (approx. dhs73,459,000), with all proceeds set to go toward the NHS and health charities.
The elusive artist, who still remains unknown by real name, first unveiled Game Changer (2020) at Southampton General Hospital in England in May, as a homage to selfless nurses in today’s pandemic-stricken reality. The work depicts a little boy who has chosen a toy nurse as his superhero rather than batman or superman.
The work was accompanied with a note that read: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.”
According to Forbes, the selling price of the work is six times higher than the low end of Christie’s estimates.
Incredible amount of money raised by the auction of Banksy – amazing to think a share of it will be directly supporting wellbeing of our staff & patients. Funds will also be distributed to a wider community of healthcare providers who support the NHS and charities across the UK. https://t.co/DKqgROh4gy
— University Hospital Southampton (@UHSFT) March 23, 2021
The artist’s previous oil-on-canvas work entitled Devolved Parliament was sold in 2019 for $12 million at Sotheby’s in London, becoming his most expensive work to date until the record-breaking Game Changer appeared.
A reprint of the work is now on display at Southampton General Hospital.
Lead image courtesy of @banksy