Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Robbie Williams sells two Banksy pieces for millions at auction

‘Girl with Balloon’ and ‘Vandalised Oils (Choppers)’ sold for £7m

Nicole Vassell
Thursday 03 March 2022 09:03 GMT
Comments
Partially shredded Banksy artwork goes back up for auction

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Robbie Williams has successfully sold two pieces by Banksy at auction for a total of £7m.

The singer put forward versions of the pieces Kissing Coppers, Girl with Balloon and Vandalised Oils (Choppers) from his personal collection for bidding in January.

The auctioneers, Sotheby’s, sold two of the works on Wednesday (2 March).

Vandalised Oils (Choppers), which is understood to have an “anti-war” message, went for just under £4.4m. Its initial estimate stood between £2.5m and 3.5m.

Girl With Balloon fetched £2.8m, after being priced at £2m to £3m.

Williams first acquired the painting directly from Banksy in 2006. However, the graffitied image made its debut under Waterloo Bridge in London in 2002.

Both of the recently sold pieces are some of the anonymous street artist’s most recognisable works.

Banksy's original girl with a heart balloon painting
Banksy's original girl with a heart balloon painting (Banksy)

Girl With Balloon is particularly famous as a canvas version of the piece was shredded at an auction in 2018, immediately after it sold for £1m.

“These works unite the cultural legacies of two of Britain’s biggest stars: Robbie Williams and Banksy,” said Hugo Cobb of Sotheby’s at the time of their initial auction listing earlier this year.

“Like their creator and like their owner, they are acerbic, iconic, irreverent and unique.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in