Banksy Painting for UK Health Workers Sells at a Record US$23 Million

March 25, 2021

A person walks past the new artwork painted by Banksy during lockdown, entitled 'Game Changer', which has gone on display to staff and patients on Level C of Southampton General Hospital. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)

Cover Banksy's "Game Changer" sells at a record high US$23 Million on Tuesday (Photo: Getty Images)

Titled “Game Changer”, the painting is the highest ever sale for a Banksy painting, with all proceeds going to help University Hospital Southampton’s staff and patients

Graffiti artist Banksy’s painting sold for a record-breaking high of US$23.1 million on Tuesday, with all proceeds going towards British public health staff.

The painting, titled Game Changer, was originally gifted by Banksy to University Hospital Southampton in English in May 2020 during the first wave of Covid-19 as a gesture of thanks to frontline workers. Along with the painting, a note was also included saying, “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white.” According to Christie’s auction house, a charitable auction was always Banksy’s intention for the piece.

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Headlining Christie’s 20th Century Art Evening Sale, Game Changer was estimated to fetch up to US$5M, hence the surprise when the piece sold for over four times its original estimate. This auction price is nearly a double of Banksy’s previous record of US$13.6 million from the artist’s 2009 Devolved Parliament painting which sold in 2019.

Over the last year, Banksy has made several pandemic-related art pieces including a London Underground installation of masked stencilled rats, as well as a mural of a woman sneezing in Totterdown.