Eleven works by cult British artist Banksy exceeded their estimates at a London auction today, underlining his ongoing appeal to contemporary art collectors.
According to the website for Bonhams auctioneers, 11 works fetched a total of £455,000 (€653,000), compared with a pre-sale estimate of around £300,000(€431,000). Including buyers' premiums, the total rose to more than £500,000 (€718,000).
The star lot was "Avon and Somerset Constabulary", a spray paint and oil canvas featuring two British policemen which fetched £80,000 (€115,000) before premium and tax compared with a pre-sale estimate of £60-£80,000.
"Attack of the Badly Drawn Boy", was expected to sell for £20-30,000 but went under the hammer for £65,000 (€93,000).
"Today's results demonstrate that prices for Banksy's work continue to go from strength to strength," said Bonhams specialist Gareth Williams.
"Perhaps the most incredible aspect of the Banksy phenomenon ...(is) that as a self-confessed guerilla artist, he has been so wholeheartedly embraced by the very establishment he satirises. We are sure that this irony is not lost on today's buyers."
Little is known about Banksy, who has managed to remain anonymous despite the commercial success of his works in recent years. Sotheby's hold the world record for a Banksy work of £322,900 (€463,000) including buyer's premium.
He has managed to remain anonymous and yet stay in the headlines for stunts including decorating Israel's controversial West Bank barrier and leaving a replica of a Guantanamo Bay detainee at the Disneyland theme part in the United States.
