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Banksy is known for his politically charged and socially conscious works, often commenting on war, consumerism, and government surveillance. Banksy has gained widespread acclaim despite his controversial subject matter and exhibited immersive projects worldwide.
Recently, some of Banksy’s most famous pieces have sold for millions of pounds, including “Love Is In The Bin,” “Game Changer,” and “Devolved Parliament.”
Interestingly, some of these sales have also made history, such as the sale of “Love Is In The Air,” which was the first physical artwork to be auctioned with the option to pay in Bitcoin, Ether, or US dollars.
Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips have auctioned some of Banksy’s most famous pieces to date, and we have compiled Banksy’s top ten auction results for you. These auction results demonstrate Banksy’s work’s immense value and appeal, which uses humour and irony to highlight critical global concerns.
NUMBER 1/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Love Is In The Bin sold for £18.6M at Sotheby’s Auction House on 14th October 2021
On 14 October 2021, Love Is In The Bin (2018) was auctioned as part of the Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Sotheby’s London.
Initially, this piece of art gained significant attention in 2018 when Banksy’s Girl with Balloon artwork “self-destructed” after the winning bid of £1,042,000 was hammered down at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction. Banksy had embedded a shredding mechanism into the ornate frame, which shredded the canvas into neatly cut strips. The shredded canvas became a cultural phenomenon, increasing Banksy’s Instagram followers by 1 million overnight. Sotheby’s was left to respond to endless press inquiries, stating that they had been “Banksy-ed.” The successful bidder decided to keep the artwork, realising the event’s significance and that they now owned a piece of art history. The resale of this piece for a staggering £18.6M further attests to the immense value and appeal of Banksy’s work.
With a sale estimate between £4,000,000–£6,000,000, the piece realised £18,582,000 / US$25,398,882
Love Is In The Bin (2018) by Banksy. Image © Sotheby’s London.
NUMBER 2/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Game Changer (2020) sold for £16.8M at Christie’s Auction House on 23rd March 2021
On March 23, 2021, Game Changer (2020) was auctioned as part of the 20th Century Evening Auction at Christie’s London.
Game Changer artwork by Banksy features a young child playing with a superhero nurse instead of Batman and Spiderman. Displayed initially at University Hospital Southampton during the COVID pandemic, the painting now supports healthcare workers and organisations across the UK through the auction proceeds. The image offers hope and nostalgia while also looking towards the future.
With a sale estimate between £2,500,000 – £3,500,000, the piece realised £16,758,000
SOLD TO BENEFIT PROCEEDS WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT THE WELL-BEING OF UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL SOUTHAMPTON STAFF AND PATIENTS
Game Changer (2020) by Banksy. Image © Christie’s London.
NUMBER 3/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Sunflowers From Petrol Station sold for US$14.5 million /£10.7M at Christie’s on 9th November 2021
On November 9, 2021, Sunflowers from Petrol Station was auctioned as part of the 21st Century Evening Sale Auction at Christie’s, New York.
The painting Sunflowers from Petrol Station, once owned by the renowned British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, is said to be a Banksy masterpiece. It is a clever reinterpretation of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, portraying the Dutch artist’s vibrant yellow blooms as a cluster of dried and withered stems. The artwork was showcased in Banksy’s influential exhibition Crude Oils in 2005, which featured several of the artist’s reworkings of famous art pieces. Through the depiction of wilted petrol station flowers, the artist highlights the harmful effects of consumerism on both art and nature.
With a sale estimate between US$12,000,000–US$18,000,000, the piece realised US$14,558,000 / £10.7 million
Sunflowers from Petrol Station by Banksy. Image © Christie’s New York.
NUMBER 4/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Devolved Parliament sold for £9.9M at Sotheby’s London Auction House on 3rd October 2019
On October 3, 2019, Devolved Parliament (2009) was auctioned as part of the Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Sotheby’s London.
“Devolved Parliament,” Banksy’s largest attributed oil painting, is a satirical masterpiece that depicts chaos in the British Parliament caused by chimpanzees. Originally titled “Question Time,” the painting was exhibited in the groundbreaking Banksy versus Bristol Museum exhibition at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery in 2009 and attracted over 300,000 visitors. The artist has subtly adjusted the painting over time, such as snuffing out the lamps in the House of Commons while the upturned banana of an ape in the foreground now faces downwards. Recently, it was exhibited under this new title at the Bristol Museum just before the originally intended Brexit Day of March 29th. With the repeated deferral of Brexit, Banksy’s prophetic and sardonically humorous artwork remains just as relevant today. In 2019, the painting gained renewed attention when it was sold by Sotheby’s for a record-breaking $12.1 million. After the sale, Banksy commented on his Instagram, “Record price for a Banksy painting set at auction tonight. Shame I didn’t still own it.“
With a sale estimate between £1,500,000–£2,000,000, the piece realised £9,879,500 / US$12,155,928
Devolved Parliament (2009) by Banksy. Image © Sotheby’s London.
NUMBER 5/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Love Is In The Air (2005) sold for £9.2M at Sotheby’s New York Auction House on 13th May 2021
On May 13, 2021, Love is in the Air (2005) was auctioned as part of the Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Sotheby’s New York.
The sale of Love is in the Air (2005) was unique because it was the first time a physical artwork was auctioned with the option to pay in Bitcoin, ether, or US dollars. Despite being estimated to be worth US$ 3-5 million, the canvas fetched a much higher price. Interestingly, it was later revealed that the payment for the painting was made in cryptocurrency. The acceptance of Bitcoin and Ether as legitimate remittances was part of a collaboration between the auction house and Coinbase – one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange platforms.
Created as a guerrilla street art piece in Beit Sahour, near the West Bank Barrier, the image’s impact extends far beyond its origins. By combining the contrasting symbols of a Flower Bouquet and an active protest gesture, Banksy conveys a powerful anti-war sentiment. The echoes of the flower power and student protests of the 60s in France and America add depth to the work’s message. Banksy’s iconic image reminds us that peace is essential to overcoming division and conflict.
With a sale estimate between US$3,000,000–US$5,000,000, the piece realised US$12,903,000
Love is in the Air (2005) by Banksy. Image © Sotheby’s New York.
NUMBER 6/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
On May 17, 2023, Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search (2018) was auctioned as part of the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale Auction at Phillip’s New York.
In 2017, Banksy secretly visited Central London to create a black-and-white stencil artwork that paid tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 painting of a ‘Boy and a dog in a Johnnypump, being searched by police officers. The timing of the artwork’s creation coincided with the opening of Basquiat’s first comprehensive exhibition in the UK since his death in 1988 at the Barbican Basquiat: Boom for Real, London. The artwork serves as a poignant reminder of the disproportionate treatment of Black people by law enforcement in both the US and the UK, which includes unjustified frisking, violent or threatening behaviour, and higher incarceration rates compared to other racial or ethnic groups. The piece also comments on the commodification and privilege of contemporary art.
With a sale estimate between US$8,000,000–US$12,000,000, the piece realised US$9,724,500
Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search by Banksy. Image © Phillip’s New York.
NUMBER 7/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Show Me The Monet (2005) sold for £7.6M at Sotheby’s Auction House on 21st October 2020
October 21, 2020, Show Me The Monet (2005) was auctioned as part of the Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Sotheby’s London.
Show Me the Monet is an impressive artwork that solidified Banksy’s reputation as a bold and thought-provoking social commentator of our time. It was acquired by the current owners from Banksy’s 2005 exhibition Crude Oils: A Gallery of Re-mixed Masterpieces, Vandalism and Vermin. Banksy cleverly reimagines an iconic image from Western art history, delivering a witty commentary on contemporary issues. The painting features fly tipping of an orange traffic cone and shopping trolleys, disrupting the romanticised nature of Monet’s famous Impressionist masterpiece and creating a modern-day dumping ground.
“The vandalised paintings reflect life as it is now. We don’t live in a world like Constable’s Haywain anymore and, if you do, there is probably a travellers’ camp on the other side of the hill. The real damage done to our environment is not done by graffiti writers and drunken teenagers, but by big business… exactly the people who put gold-framed pictures of landscapes on their walls and try to tell the rest of us how to behave.”
Banksy
With a sale estimate between £3,000,000–£5,000,000, the piece realised £7,551,600 / US$9,783,779
Show Me The Monet (2005) by Banksy. Image © Sotheby’s London.
NUMBER 8/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Forgive Us Our Trespassing sold for £6.3M at Sotheby’s HK on 6th October 2020
October 6, 2020, Forgive Us Our Trespassing (2011) was auctioned as part of the Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
An artwork by Banksy named Forgive Us Our Trespassing was recently sold for HK$64.1 million (£6.3 million) at an auction conducted by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on October 4, 2020. In 2011, Banksy created a seven-metre-tall work of art called Forgive Us Our Trespassing, recognised as the largest piece by the anonymous street artist. The artwork depicts a hooded kneeling boy with paint and a paintbrush against a tagged church stained glass window, and it was first seen in 2010 on a wall in Salt Lake City. Over 100 students from grades 6 to 9 at the City of Angels School worked on the project to inspire children to create art. The students helped tag the stained glass windows, a central part of street art and graffiti culture. The artwork reflects Banksy’s conflicting emotions about being a graffiti artist and the deep concerns and pathos that underlie his artistic production. Although the work asks for forgiveness, it conveys that Banksy is confident with his art.
With a sale estimate between HK$16,000,000–HK$32,000,000, the piece realised HK$64,112,000 / US$8,272,356
Forgive Us Our Trespassing (2011) by Banksy. Image © Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
NUMBER 9/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Love Is In The Air (2006) sold for £6M at Sotheby’s NY Auction House on 18th November 2021
On November 18, 2021, Love is in the Air (2006) was auctioned as part of The Now Evening Auction at Sotheby’s New York.
A 2006 edition of Banksy’s Love Is In The Air conveys Banksy’s message of promoting peace over violence. Created as a guerrilla street art piece in Beit Sahour, near the West Bank Barrier, the image’s impact extends far beyond its origins. By combining the contrasting symbols of a Flower Bouquet and an active protest gesture, Banksy conveys a powerful anti-war sentiment. The echoes of the flower power and student protests of the 60s in France and America add depth to the work’s message. Banksy’s iconic image ultimately reminds us that peace is essential to overcoming division and conflict.
With a sale estimate between US$4,000,000–US$6,000,000, the piece realised US$8,077,200
Love is in the Air (2006) by Banksy. Image © Sotheby’s New York.
NUMBER 10/10 Auction Results for BANKSY
Trolley Hunters (2006) sold at Sotheby’s NY Auction House on 18th November 2021
On November 18, 2021, Trolley Hunters (2006) was auctioned as part of The Now Evening Auction at Sotheby’s New York.
Featured in Barely Legal, Banksy’s seminal 2006 exhibition in Los Angeles that triggered widespread acclaim and recognition for the artist, Trolley Hunters is a satirical commentary on consumerism and uses Banksy’s signature dark humour to point out society’s flaws. The artwork features three hunters aiming their weapons at a group of shopping carts instead of a wild animal, highlighting humanity’s overwhelming reliance on mass-produced goods and modern capitalism’s impact on our ability to provide for ourselves. Trolley Hunters also touches on our primal instincts, which have become more distant over time.
“We can’t do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime, we should all go shopping to console ourselves.”
Banksy, Wall & Piece, 2006
With a sale estimate between US$5,000,000–US$7,000,000, the piece realised US$6,698,400
Trolley Hunters (2006) by Banksy. Image © Sotheby’s New York.
Banksy’s work sells for millions due to his unique and groundbreaking approach to street art and his ability to create thought-provoking and often controversial pieces that resonate with people worldwide. His anonymity and mysterious persona have also contributed to his popularity and the high demand for his work in the art market. Banksy remains one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in art today.
Discover our impressive collection of Banksy artworks available on our website here. Our team is delighted to support you if you cannot find a particular Banksy piece. With our vast knowledge and network of collectors, we can assist you in locating that elusive artwork you have been seeking.
Photos © Banksy at Sotheby’s, Phillip’s and Christie’s Auction Houses.
The sale price includes the hammer price, buyer’s premium, and any other additional fees (e.g., Artist’s Resale Rights).
