LONDON (AP) 鈥� A painting by street artist Banksy with an environmental message and an estimate of up to 5 million pounds ($6.3 million) is going up for auction, with some of the proceeds helping victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Sotheby鈥檚 auction house said Tuesday that 鈥淐rude Oil (Vettriano)鈥� is being sold in London next month from the collection of Mark Hoppus, bassist with California skate-punk band Blink-182, who sees Banksy as a kindred spirit.
Hoppus said he was drawn to the subversion, humor and intelligence of Banksy鈥檚 work and the similarities between 鈥渟kateboarding, punk rock and art.鈥�
鈥淚 feel like street art and punk rock have the same core,鈥� Hoppus said. 鈥淭he left-out and overlooked making their own reality. 鈥� Just go make art. It鈥檚 the same spirit. And I鈥檝e loved art and especially street art ever since realizing that.鈥�
鈥淐rude Oil (Vettriano)鈥� is part of a 2005 series of works in which Banksy put a satirical spin on famous paintings 鈥� withering Vincent van Gogh鈥檚 鈥淪unflowers鈥� and smashing the diner window in Edward Hopper鈥檚 鈥淣ighthawks.鈥� The artist said his aim was to show that 鈥渢he real damage done to our environment is not done by graffiti writers and drunken teenagers, but by big business.鈥�
The work going under the hammer is based on 鈥淭he Singing Butler,鈥� a painting by Scottish artist Jack Vettriano showing a couple in evening dress dancing on a beach as servants proffer sheltering umbrellas. Banksy has added a sinking oil liner and two figures lugging a barrel of toxic waste.
鈥淲e loved this painting since the moment we saw it,鈥� said Hoppus, who bought the artwork with his wife, Skye Everly, in 2011. He said the painting 鈥� 鈥渦nmistakably Banksy, but different鈥� 鈥� has hung in the family鈥檚 homes in London and Los Angeles.
Hoppus said he would use the proceeds of the sale to buy work by upcoming artists. Some will go to the California Fire Foundation, Children鈥檚 Hospital Los Angeles and Cedars Sinai Hematology Oncology Research.
Banksy, who has never confirmed his full identity, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the world鈥檚 best-known artists. His mischievous and often satirical images include two male police officers kissing, armed riot police with yellow smiley faces and a chimpanzee with a sign bearing the words, 鈥淟augh now, but one day I鈥檒l be in charge.鈥�
Several of his works have sold for multiple millions at auction. The record is almost 18.6 million pounds ($25.4 million at the time) paid at Sotheby鈥檚 in October 2021 for 鈥淟ove is in the Bin鈥� 鈥� an image of a girl with a balloon that partially self-destructed during an auction three years earlier thanks to a shredder hidden in the frame.
鈥淐rude Oil (Vettriano)鈥� is on display at Sotheby鈥檚 in New York until Thursday and in London Feb. 26-March 4.
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