USA: Various murals and stencils by graffiti artist Banksy, including his famed "flower girl," sell at auction in Beverly Hills

Record ID: 564802

  • Title: USA: Various murals and stencils by graffiti artist Banksy, including his famed "flower girl," sell at auction in Beverly Hills
  • Date: 6th December 2013
  • Summary: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 05, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STREET ART AUCTION AT JULIEN'S AUCTIONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARTIN NOLAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT JULIEN'S AUCTIONS, SAYING: "We have over 90 lots of street art, including of course, world famous Banksy. We have six from Banksy, including the wall known as the 'Flower Girl,' which was done by Banksy here in Los Angeles in 2008, and we extracted the wall here in Los Angeles, and it's the first time a piece of public art from Banksy has been sold in the United States, and so we're excited to bring this to the auction this evening" VARIOUS OF AUCTION OF BANKSY PIECE "FLOWER GIRL" - PIECE SELLS FOR $170,000 DOLLARS (USD) - $209,000 INCLUDING FEES LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF "FLOWER GIRL" BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 05, 2013) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARTIN NOLAN, SAYING: "Years ago we all remember when we frowned upon graffiti and guerilla art and urban art, and now we're embracing it, and now it's become highly collectible, it's part of the contemporary art arena." VARIOUS OF AUCTION OF "TV GIRL" - PIECE SELLS FOR $110,000 DOLLARS (USD) - $137,000 INCLUDING FEES CLOSEUP OF "TV GIRL" CLOSEUP OF "UMBRELLA RAT" VARIOUS OF AUCTION OF "UMBRELLA RAT" - PIECE SELLS FOR $40,000 DOLLARS (USD) - $50,000 INCLUDING FEES VARIOUS OF UMBRELLA RAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARTIN NOLAN, SAYING: "The mystique about Banksy is nobody knows who he is, we've never seen him. So we know his work he puts on his official website. And so that's adding to the value of him, because people are anxious to own something from Banksy because we don't know who he is." VARIOUS OF AUCTION OF "BLACK BOBBY 2003" - PIECE SELLS FOR $30,000 DOLLARS (USD) - $37,500 INCLUDING FEES VARIOUS OF "BLACK BOBBY 2003"
  • Embargoed: 21st December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts
  • Reuters ID: LVA39N5PZF8HZMV41GTYKTCGFKUN
  • Story Text: A collection of aerosol stenciled artwork by British graffiti artist Banksy sold at a Beverly Hills auction Thursday (December 05).

    "Flower Girl," "Black Bobby 2003" "Umbrella Rat," and "TV Girl" were cut from various walls around the world and brought in a total of $457,250 dollars (USD) including fees.
    The auction's centerpiece was "Flower Girl," a mural painted on the brick wall of a Hollywood, California gas station in 2008. After years of public display, the entire wall containing the art was cut out. Measuring 9 feet by 8 feet, the mural shows the silhouette of a girl looking up at a closed-circuit television camera sprouting from a vine.

    "Flower Girl" sold at the auction for $209,000 including fees, in the middle of its $150,000 to $300,000 estimated sale price.

    "TV Girl," circa 2003/2004 sold for $137,000 including fees.

    "Umbrella Rat," circa 2003/2005 sold for $50,000 including fees.

    "Black Bobby 2003" sold for $37,500 including fees.
    Executive director for Julien's Auctions, Martin Nolan stressed the importance of the "Flower Girl" sale.

    "We extracted the wall here in Los Angeles, and it's the first time a piece of public art from Banksy has been sold in the United States, and so we're excited to bring this to the auction this evening," says Nolan.
    Banksy, who intentionally hides his identity and real name, is becoming a hot commodity in the art world. He is the pseudonym of a graffiti artist who first emerged in Bristol, England, as part of an underground group. He hides his identity and real name, and his works have become collectors' items, prized for their trademark spray-paint stencils and offering social commentary. His "Slave Labour" mural recently sold for $1.1 million.

    "The mystique about Banksy is nobody knows who he is, we've never seen him. So we know his work he puts on his official website. And so that's adding to the value of him, because people are anxious to own something from Banksy because we don't know who he is," says Nolan.
    He also believes the high prices commanded by the pieces represents a coming-of-age for street art, once thought of as unsightly.

    "Years ago we all remember when we frowned upon graffiti and guerilla art and urban art, and now we're embracing it, and now it's become highly collectible, it's part of the contemporary art arena," says Nolan.
    Other artists' works included in Thursday's sale were Shepard Fairey, Cope2, Mear One, Indie 184, D*Face, and Mr. Brainwash, whose real name is Thierry Guetta, a street artist and amateur videographer who played a pivotal role in the filming of Banksy's 2010 Oscar-nominated documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop."
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