Two works by artist Banksy belonging to British pop singer Robbie Williams sold for several million euros at auction by Sotheby's in London on Wednesday.
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Vandalized Oil (Choppers)
, an oil painting depicting military helicopters bursting into a peaceful countryside landscape, sold for nearly £4.4 million.
The price exceeded estimates, set at between 2.5 and 3.5 million pounds.
For Sotheby's, this painting illustrates the
"anti-war message"
of Banksy, a street artist from Bristol (west of England) whose real identity remains mysterious and who likes to mark opinion through his works.
Although the painting is reminiscent of the American film
Apocalypse Now
on the Vietnam War, it seems to evoke the war in Iraq more, underlines the auction house, recalling that Banksy had committed against this war and had distributed stenciled signs during demonstrations in London in 2003.
Two gallery owners pose with the two works by Banksy on February 22 at Sotheby's.
On the left,
La fille au ballon
, on the right,
Vandalized oil (Choppers)
.
Tolga Akmen / AFP
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At the same sale, a version of
La fille au ballon
by the British artist sold for 2.8 million pounds (about 3.4 million euros).
This work also belonged to Robbie Williams, who bought it directly from the artist in 2006. It was estimated between 2 and 3 million pounds.
This image of a little girl reaching for a flying red heart-shaped balloon appeared on walls in London from 2002 and was subsequently reproduced in various versions, including paintings or prints, by the artist.
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The price of one of these copies which had partially self-destructed during a sale had soared to nearly 18.6 million pounds (21.8 million euros) in October 2021 at auction in London, a record for the artist.
In March 2021, another of his works,
Game Changer
, a canvas honoring caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic, was sold for 16.75 million pounds (19.5 million euros) for the benefit of the British public health service.