Banksy mural ‘Kissing Coppers’ and others don’t impress at auction
A mural depicting two lip-locked British bobbies created by the street artist Banksy sold at an auction in Miami on Tuesday for $575,000, which was at the low end of estimates. Two other Banksy works -- which the artist created during his monthlong “residency” in New York last year -- failed to meet sale expectations.
The Banksy works were being sold as part of a street-art auction by Fine Art Auctions Miami. The Tuesday sale featured works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bambi, Keith Haring and others.
Banksy’s “Kissing Coppers” was expected to bring in between $500,000 to $700,000. The mural was seen in 2005 in Brighton, England, where it was stenciled onto the side of the Prince Albert Pub.
An anonymous buyer purchased the work for $480,000 plus $95,000 in fees, bringing the total to $575,000.
Two additional Banksy works -- “Bandaged Heart Balloon” and “Crazy Horse Car Door” -- were created during the street artist’s highly publicized stay last year in New York. The works were expected to fetch a minimum of $200,000 and $100,000, respectively.
But both pieces failed to reach their minimum bid price and were not sold. “Bandaged” was created in Brooklyn; “Crazy” was first seen in Manhattan.
The auction on Tuesday featured about 50 works for sale. The auction record for Banksy is $1.9 million paid in 2008 for “Keep it Spotless” -- a defaced Damien Hirst spot painting.
ALSO:
Banksy calls World Trade Center tower ‘vanilla’
Banksy watch: A look at the artist’s New York creations
‘100% authentic’ Banksy artworks, $60 each, in N.Y.; only seven sold?
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
