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"Game Changer", unveiled last May at University
Hospital Southampton, paid tribute to the frontline workers of
Britain's National Health Service (NHS) in their fight against
the COVID-19 pandemic.
The black-and-white hand-painted artwork shows a boy lifting a
nurse, her arm outstretched and wearing a cape, while
traditional superheroes Batman and Spider-Man lie in a bin.
Through Southampton Hospitals Charity, proceeds from the sale
will be used to "fund wellbeing projects for staff and patients,
and distributed to a wider community of healthcare providers
both within the NHS and charitable sectors," Christie's said.
A reproduction of the painting will hang in the hospital, it
said.
In a Christie's auction streamed live, the painting sold for a
hammer price of 14.4 million pounds ($19.85 million). Added fees
gave it a final price of 16.75 million pounds, a world auction
record for Banksy, according to Christie's.
The painting had carried an estimate of 2.5-3.5 million pounds.
"Banksy is an extraordinary artist who is a constant barometer
of nationwide sentiment," Katharine Arnold, Co-Head, Post-War
and Contemporary Art, Europe at Christie's, said in a statement.
"With the perfect image of a little boy playing with his
superhero doll; a nurse sporting the international Red Cross, he
perfectly captured the essence of this moment in time."
David French, Interim Chief Executive Officer at University
Hospital Southampton, said: "This incredible gift will be
invaluable in helping us to focus on promoting and protecting
the welfare of our staff as they heal and recover from the last
year."
The sale took place as Britons across the country on Tuesday
marked one year since Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the
nation into its first lockdown.
A minute's silence was observed to remember the more than
126,000 people who have lost their lives to the virus.
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
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