A painting by street artist Banksy, which carries an environmental message and is valued at up to 5 million pounds ($6.3 million), will be auctioned off, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Sotheby’s announced that the artwork, titled “Crude Oil (Vettriano),” will be sold in London next month as part of the collection of Mark Hoppus, the bassist of California skate-punk band Blink-182. Hoppus has long admired Banksy, seeing the artist as a kindred spirit.
Hoppus shared that he was drawn to Banksy’s work because of its subversive nature, humor, and intelligence, noting the parallels between skateboarding, punk rock, and art.
“Street art and punk rock have the same core,” Hoppus said. “They represent the left-out and overlooked making their own reality. It’s about just going out and making art, which I’ve loved since I first realized that.”
“Crude Oil (Vettriano)” is part of a 2005 series by Banksy where he humorously reimagined famous artworks. In this series, he added a satirical twist to works like Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks,” with the goal of highlighting the environmental harm caused by major corporations, rather than by graffiti artists or troubled youth.
The piece up for auction is based on Scottish artist Jack Vettriano’s “The Singing Butler,” which depicts a couple dancing on a beach while servants hold umbrellas to shield them. In Banksy’s version, he has incorporated a sinking oil tanker and two figures carrying barrels of toxic waste.
“We loved this painting the moment we saw it,” said Mark Hoppus, who purchased the artwork with his wife, Skye, in 2011. He described it as “unmistakably Banksy, but different,” and noted that it has been displayed in their homes in London and Los Angeles ever since.
Hoppus shared that the proceeds from the sale will be used to acquire works from emerging artists, with some funds also going to the California Fire Foundation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Cedars-Sinai Hematology Oncology Research.
Banksy, the elusive artist who has never fully revealed his identity, began his career by spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England. He has since risen to become one of the most famous artists in the world. His provocative and often satirical works include iconic images like two male police officers kissing, armed riot police with yellow smiley faces, and a chimpanzee holding a sign that reads, “Laugh now, but one day I’ll be in charge.”
Many of his works have fetched millions at auction. His record price was set in October 2021 when “Love is in the Bin,” an image of a girl with a balloon, sold for nearly 18.6 million pounds ($25.4 million at the time). The artwork famously self-destructed partially during a previous auction in 2018, thanks to a hidden shredder in its frame.
The painting is currently on display at Sotheby’s in New York until Thursday and will be shown in London from February 26 to March 4.