British artist Banksy's Devolved Parliament, a satirical oil painting depicting the House of Commons filled with chimpanzees, has sold at auction in London overnight for a record-breaking £9,879,500, in what auction organisers say is a record for the street artist.
Devolved Parliament, which is four metres wide, went under the hammer at Sotheby's and sold after 13 minutes of bidding. The sale was after the painting was on display in Bristol, England in March to mark the first missed Brexit deadline. The final sale price far exceeded Sotheby's estimate of £1,500,000 to £2,000,000.
Shortly after Devolved Parliament was sold, Banksy reacted on Instagram: "Record price for a Banksy painting set at auction tonight," he wrote. "Shame I didn't still own it."
In 2009, Banksy said of Devolved Parliament; "You paint 100 chimpanzees and they still call you a guerrilla artist."
THE ART OF BANKSY, the world's largest touring collection of Banksy's works, is currently on display at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney. THE ART OF BANKSY has already generated international excitement when it visited Melbourne, Tel Aviv, Auckland, Toronto and Miami, and now this unique exhibition comes to Sydney for a limited season.
"Nobody ever listened to me until they didn't know who I was." - Banksy
THE ART OF BANKSY showcases 80 original works associated with, arguably, the most intriguing and talked-about artist in modern history. These privately-owned pieces of Banksy's works, include canvasses, screenprints and sculptures. Whilst the touring exhibition is not authorised by Banksy, the show is curated by Steve Lazarides, the artist's former manager and photographer.
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