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Video: Why Banksy Sketched Carts in Monet's Water Lily Pond: A Painting That Sold in 10 Minutes for $ 10 Million
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Banksy's work, perhaps the most controversial street artist in the world, has become a subculture of its own. And his painting Show Me Monet brought the author $ 10 million. Interestingly, the auction lasted only 10 minutes. This work of the reclusive artist is a remake of the famous painting by the French impressionist Claude Monet.
About the artist
Banksy (born 1974 in Bristol, England) is an anonymous British graffiti artist known for his anti-authoritarian art. It is known that since 2002 Banksy has been using stencils in his work to increase the speed of work. An interesting incident led him to this method of work. At the age of 18, Banksy was nearly caught by the police for vandalizing in public places. Banksy himself was stuck in a trash van, while his team managed to escape from the scene. And then he noticed stencil letters sprayed on the truck. As he was looking for a faster way to express his ideas, Banksy decided that the stencil would be his new graffiti tool.
Banksy independently developed a distinctive iconography of frequently used images (especially rats and police officers who conveyed his anti-authoritarian message). Witty and creative, Banksy combined graffiti art with installation and performance. Subsequently, Banksy's silkscreens and stencils have shown sales records at contemporary art auctions such as Sotheby’s and Bonham’s in London. The successful sales marked Banksy's entry into the commercial art world. In 2010, Banksy took on the role of author and director of his film Exit Through the Gift Shop.
Banksy's work often touches on political themes, criticizing war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed. Banksy's political statements and unique vision have influenced the most important events in recent history, provoking alternative points of view and contributing to the revolution in the art world. Frequent elements of his works are rats, monkeys, police officers, members of the royal family and children. In addition to his 2D work, Banksy is known for his installations. One of the most famous pieces of art, the image of a living elephant painted on a Victorian wallpaper has sparked controversy among animal rights activists.
Banksy's personality
Banksy, whose real name has never been officially released, began his career in Bristol and has since become one of the most famous artists in the world. Very little is known about Banksy himself, as he refuses to be interviewed and carefully maintains his anonymity. Most often, 2 versions are put forward about the true person of Banksy: Robert Banks or Robin Gunningham. By the way, the last artist, born in Bristol in 1973, moved to London around 2000. This timeline corresponds to the period of development of artistic creativity of Banksy himself.
About Show Me Monet
"Show Me Monet" is a remake of the famous painting "Japanese Bridge" by the anonymous graffiti artist Banksy by the French impressionist Claude Monet. Monet's original painting was one of 12 Impressionist works overlooking the artist's Japanese bridge across his water garden, near Giverny. In his version, Banksy depicted two shopping carts and a traffic cone floating in a pond of an idyllic scene.
Banksy created this piece of art in 2005 for an exhibition entitled Crude Oil: A Gallery of Mixed Masterpieces, Vandalism and Parasites, which reinterprets the work of renowned artists. Banksy said about his work: "The real damage to the environment is not caused by graffiti writers and drunken teenagers, but by big business and lazy architects."
The selling price of Banksy's work far exceeded expectations. Sotheby's auctioneers predicted that the painting would be released for half its possible selling price. As a result, the painting was sold at auction in London for £ 7.6 million ($ 9.9 million) after a nine-minute battle of potential buyers. The work was bought by an anonymous private collector from Asia.
Alex Branchyk, head of the European department of contemporary art at Sotheby's, said in an interview that this work was one of Banksy's "most striking and iconic" works put up for auction. It is now the second most expensive Banksy piece to be auctioned (last year the “Autonomous Parliament” work was sold for 9.9 million pounds sterling).
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