Titled Game Changer, a Banksy painting fetches a record-breaking sum for the street artist, after he created a copy of the original to be put in place where the original was displayed.
Secretively installed in a Southampton hospital, the artwork came with a note from Banksy, reading: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.” The work was intended to go on auction in aid of NHS charities, following a period on display (during which someone tried to steal it), and it once again smashed estimates by large, from £2.5 million to £3.5 million estimated to a staggering £14.4 million (or £16.7 million with fees), putting his previous most-expensive work Devolved Parliament, a satirical painting sold for £8.5 million, or just under £10 million with fees, in the second place.
Almost the entirety of the auction will benefit “health organizations and charities across the UK that enhance the care and treatment provided by the NHS,” according to a statement. A “significant portion” of the buyer’s premium will also go toward these causes, says the London auction house Christie’s.