Two works by the mysterious British artist Banksy were sold on Wednesday for millions of euros by the British auction house Sotheby’s. The artworks were owned by British singer Robbie Williams. A third Banksy work of art that Williams would sell did not go up for sale after all.
The painting Vandalized Oil (Choppers), a classic oil painting of a landscape over which army helicopters fly, brought in almost 5.3 million euros in London. The painting was described by the Sotheby’s auction house as a work that conveyed an ‘anti-war message’ from the artist.
The other work owned by the former Take That singer was Girl with Balloon. This work by Banksy was auctioned for just over 3.3 million euros. Williams took over directly from the mysterious artist in 2006, who made multiple copies of the work.
One of the copies of the world famous Girl with Balloon was partly put through a shredder in 2018. That damaged work, with the new title Love is in the Bin, yielded 22 million euros last year. Auction house Sotheby’s spoke of a record at the time.
The singer would also sell a third artwork, Kissing Coppers, of two police officers kissing. That eventually didn’t work out. The auction house did not disclose why Williams changed his mind.
Williams collects works by Banksy because his paintings combine for him three things he loves very much, he previously said: “Hip-hop culture, boldness and comedy”. The singer said he is selling the artworks to finance his own ‘art project’ and to free up space to buy new art.
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