Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus is set to auction Banksy’s ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’ at Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Sale in London, with an estimate of £3-5 million.
The entirely hand-painted work, which has been part of Hoppus and his wife Skye’s collection since 2011, will be exhibited at Sotheby’s New York before moving to London for the 4th March auction.
“We loved this painting since the moment we saw it. Unmistakably Banksy, but different. We bought it because we loved it. It’s borne witness to our family over these past dozen years. It hung over the table in London where we ate breakfast and our son did his homework. It hung in our living room in Los Angeles. It’s seen laughter and tears and parties and arguments. Our son has grown up in front of it,” Hoppus says. “This painting has meant so much to us and been such an amazing part of our lives, and now I’m excited for it to be out there in the world, seen by as many as possible. Go get ’em. Godspeed.”
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and their Child Life Program, Cedars Sinai Haematology Oncology Research, and the California Fire Foundation. The couple also plan to use part of the funds to support emerging artists. “Coming back to punk rock, one aspect of the community I always hold dear is, if you get lucky enough to gain success, you bring your friends with you,” Hoppus explains. “I want to take some of the money from the sale of this painting and use it to buy works from younger, upcoming artists. We were lucky enough to find ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’ in our lives, and it’ll help us support more art and artists. I want to be a f***ing Medici.”
The painting, which reimagines Jack Vettriano’s ‘The Singing Butler’, was first exhibited in Banksy’s 2005 exhibition Crude Oils. The work features Banksy’s signature subversive style, incorporating a sinking oil liner and figures in hazmat suits into Vettriano’s original romantic beach scene.
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