Banksy's 'Show me the Monet' Sells for £7.5 Million at Sotheby's

Banksy's re-imagining of Claude Monet’s impressionist masterpiece Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies featuring traffic cones and discarded shopping carts, has sold at Sotheby’s for more than £7.5 million.

Titled Show Me the Monet, the playful artwork smashed auction estimates with ease and went on to become the second most expensive Banksy to sell at auction. The sale took place at Sotheby’s event in London on Wednesday the 21st of October and caused a near nine-minute battle between five collectors, according to the auction house.

Created in 2005 as part of the artist's iconic series of Crude Oils, Banksy's reinterpretation of Monet's famous painting sees shopping trollies and a traffic cone added to the idyllic water lily scene of Monet's garden in Giverny. The series consists of works in which the artist subverts the language of art history to recreate renowned artworks with his own style and commentary. Other famous Crude Oils include Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks augmented by an angry man in Union Jack shorts who has just broken the bar window and the well-known reimagining of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe as Kate Moss.

Originally estimated between £3,500,000 and 5,000,000, the piece achieved a staggering price of £7,551,600. It is now the second most expensive artwork by the history-making artist sold at auction, following the sale of Devolved Parliament for more than £9.9 million last year.

Another exciting auction result for Banksy no doubt. As always, thank you for reading. If you're interested in Banksy in the meantime don't hesitate to get in touch to request a catalogue.