Banksy Sale To Raise Funds For Kids With Parents Behind Bars

On Monday evening Aucklands largest auction house Webb’s will host their premiere art auction, the sale includes one particular work that tells a story of inspiration and generosity while also commenting on consumer culture from within the auction house walls.

Jack and Jill is an iconic print by notorious U.K. street artist, Banksy. In keeping with the jarring irony of many of the artist’s works, the image shows two children running happily along while wearing police vests. This work is unusual for Banksy, in that it was first produced as a screen print, rather than starting out as a graffiti work.

This example of Jack and Jill was purchased by its current owner from the London gallery Pictures on Walls in 2006. It came at a time when she was embarking on a journey to become a police officer. Police work had been a long-held dream for her, and acquisition of the work became an inspiration to pursue it. Now enjoying a successful career in the field, she is selling the work and wants to give back. A portion of the proceeds of this sale will be donated to Pillars, a charity that supports the children and families with whanau in prison.

A contradiction of modern capitalism, Banksy’s works were originally known only as street art, graffiti on public walls, enjoyable by all but owned by no one. The screen-prints created such a frenzy of followers and later secondary market collectors that the prices skyrocketed over 15 years from a few hundred pounds when initially purchased to a few hundred thousand pounds when sold at auction.

An original painting by Banksy was donated by the artists to Britain’s National Health Service, raising a whopping $20,000,000 pounds for the charity. This is the highest price achieved by the artist at auction, and fitting that the proceeds went to such a worthy cause during the pandemic. One of the most famous points in the artists career was when in 2018 at Sotheby’s in London, his original work “Girl with Balloon” sold with a hammer fall of $1.4 million pounds. Crowds were flawed as the hammer fall set off an alarm within the works frame which automatically shredded the artwork on site. Ironically adding to the works intrigue and in turn monetary value.

Adrienne Schierning Manager of the Art Department at Webb’s notes “It is fitting that an artist like Banksy, who so publicly pushes against the capitalist motivations within the art world, has inspired one of his collectors to give back. The story of the owners personal journey to help people is what makes her gesture to give back to this specific charity so meaningful.”

The above work holds the highest sales record for a screenprint by Banksy reaching 1,104,000 GBP (NZD $2,150,656).

The work sold at Sotheby's London, Thursday March 25, 2021. In the sale Modern Renaissance: A Cross-Category Sale, Lot 133.

To view the catalogue visit: https://bit.ly/3yuBxb5 

Viewing Times 

Saturday 7 August – Sunday 8 August / 10am – 4pm 

Monday 9 August / 10am – 1pm 

Live Auction 

Monday 9 August / 6.30pm

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