Last year, Banksy confirmed on his official Instagram page that the spait of graffiti and street installations that adorned Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and parts of Suffolk were indeed produced by him. Prior to these works, the artist’s last street piece appeared on a wall of the famous Reading prison and his evolving style can be seen to carry through into these more recent pieces.
Totalling 10 unique works, this flurry of activity was one of the artist’s most prolific number of street works produced at the same time. Executed with typical Banksy style and humour, the collection, titled “A Great British Staycation” can be seen to be inspired both from current affairs and the history of the locations selected.
Fast-forward to 2022 and after a buoyant set of auction results at both Bonham’s and Forum Auctions, the demand and popularity of the artist’s studio works show no signs of slowing down. Both Banksy signed prints for sale performed well but it was a very different type of work that set the artworld alight with a miniature stable that appeared as part of the Great British Staycation escapades selling for more than £1m at auction.
As with all Banksy original artworks for sale, there was worldwide interest in the piece that appeared in the Merrivale model village on the 6th of August 2021. The tiny thatched building, which features a rodent and the words "Go Big Or Go Home" scrawled on the side, was put up for sale by the model village's owners who replaced it with a replica over fears the original could be stolen.
Sold in under two minutes, the hammer price for the artwork was £800,000 but with the addition of commission and ARR fee, the price was pushed over £1m. On the sale, one of the owners, Frances Newsome, said: "The Banksy has been a life-saver for us as we've had to close so much due to the pandemic. We hope the sale will safeguard the future of the village."
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As he announced lot 685, Julian Thomson of auctioneers Anderson and Garland said he was "delighted to bring the artwork to the North East" and that it was a "great honour" to bring it to market for the first time. As he brought down his hammer Mr Thomson said: "Well that was exciting, please stay with us as we have more affordable artwork to move on to now."
2022 has shown that the global interest in Banksy is strong and shows no signs of abating. From Banksy original paintings to signed prints, collectors are seeking works by the world’s most popular artist to add to their collections. For more information on our Banksy original art for sale and to arrange a viewing in person or via video call, contact our gallery via sales@andipa.com or call +44 (0)20 7581 1244.