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Artist deposits £100,000 in his banksy account
Tom Teodorczuk, Evening Standard19 Oct 2006
He was initially dismissed by many in the art world as a maverick prankster but now graffiti artist Banksy has established himself as a modern art heavyweight in the auction houses.
The reclusive artist broke his own record at auction yesterday when his unique take on Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa was sold for £57,600 to a UK-based private collector at Sotheby's Olympia Contemporary Art sale and a Kate Moss series made another £50,000.
The prices confounded those present, given the pre-sale estimate for the Mona Lisa was £15,000 to £20,000. The bidding frenzy led to Banksy more than doubling his previous highest price for a piece, £21,000, which was set at another Sotheby's Olympia auction last June.
In his version of the Mona Lisa, Banksy used his familiar stencil technique to depict the famous subject with spray paint dripping from her eyes. A Metropolitan Police evidence tag is attached to the stretcher at the back of the picture.
Collectors were not content with just his reinterpretation of Da Vinci's iconic work; a set of six prints of Kate Moss - portrayed in the style of Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe series - fetched just over £50,000 when they went under the hammer.
Elli Varnavides, contemporary art specialist at Sotheby's Olympia, said: "Of the five lots that we had for sale by Banksy, two of them ended up being our top sales. We were expecting a very impressive sale but because Banksy's record at auctions is relatively new, some people were unsure. But the outcome has been spectacular.
"The Kate Moss lot was also bought by a private collector. The estimate was £10,000 to £15,000, so it's quite sensational to go over five times the low estimate. I believe Kate Moss was happy about Banksy using her image in an iconic way."
Ms Varnavides added: "It's not often that we sell works with spray paints but we'll be seeing a lot more of Banksy as he seems to be building up a global presence. We are very excited about including works by him in his next sale in February."
Last month, Banksy held a show in Los Angeles that attracted Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jude Law and Keanu Reeves. Jolie reportedly spent more than £200,000 on the Bristol-born artist's works.
Banksy's previous efforts include creating a 3.5-tonne bronze of the Old Bailey's statue of Justice wearing thigh-high PVC boots and a suspender belt. He also hung a "cave painting" of a primitive man pushing a shopping trolley, in the British Museum.
Reader views (6)
Banksy re-interprets everything, from the very nature of art, the street, to the way we view the world and the art world. So who says you can't re-interpret 'masterpieces'? The only rules are, break them. To be fair the rich celebs are probably spending more on less interesting pieces. (Although I bet Jude Law's made a killing.)
The more direct, early pieces like 'Laugh now' are far more interesting.
I'm waiting for a 'Art Rat auctioneer' print pls Banksy.
- Neil, london uk, 26/10/2006 14:28
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Banksy is an artist of the people! his work shows you the real world and not the world that Tony Blair wants us to believe exists. Most art you see in galleries now is designed to fool us into thinking everthing is OK, its nice and sunny outside, its safe! The truth is we now live in a dirty & dangerous country thats out of control 
www.Banksy.info
- Silky, London, 20/10/2006 09:56
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Sure! I agree with what Suzanne H. from London said. Lots and lots of creative people are around that don't know how to enter the system. Maybe 'cause they are too honest!
- Lily, London, 19/10/2006 18:40
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Although it may seem Bansky has a lack of orginality, it must be remembered that he never followed the normal career path of an artist. Most work he did was always illegal and I think now that he is moving into becoming a mainstream artist, people are buying into what he used to be... A graffitti artist that got away with the most insane pranks and still to this day can remain as anonymous as Joe Nobody. I just wonder if the Met actually realises what a collection they must have in their possession after all the confiscation and clean ups they have done. See you all at the next police auction!
- Chad, London, 19/10/2006 17:20
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He can now afford to buy a house in a nice area where there's no graffitti.
- Duncan, Rochester, UK, 19/10/2006 15:56
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Can no one else see his lack of originality! I cannot believe that people spent so much on these pictures. I'm not the biggest fan of the Mona Lisa but I do think DaVinci was a genius and Warhol brilliant. Banksy has taken one very original painting and another innovative painting style and blatantly sold them as his own (are collectors stupid or sucked in because Jolie bought some of his artwork). It makes me so angry the lack of individuality in some modern art espcially when I personally know many more talented artists that are produced great, individual artwork!
- Suzanne Hall, London, 19/10/2006 15:46
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