Banksy Painting of Chimps in British Parliament Sells for Record $12million

Banksy Painting of Chimps in British Parliament Sells for Record

$12M

Pandemonium befitting the British Parliament erupted at Sotheby’s in London when a Banksy painting depicting primates sitting in a Commons chamber fetched more than $12 million, according to reports.

After furious bidding Thursday that lasted about 13 minutes, the 2009 “Devolved Parliament” by the elusive, anonymous artist — in which chimpanzees replace politicians — easily surpassed its estimated price tag of $1.8 million to $2.4 million.

“Record price for a Banksy painting set at auction tonight. Shame I didn’t still own it,” Banksy wrote on his Instagram feed along with a post quoting art critic Robert Hughes.

“… The price of a work of art is now part of its function, its new job is to sit on the wall and get more expensive. Instead of being the common property of humankind the way a book is, art becomes the particular property of someone who can afford it,” the post quoted Hughes as saying.

Before the blockbuster sale, the auction record for a Banksy work was $1,870,000 for “Keep it Spotless,” which sold at Sotheby’s in New York in 2008, according to Reuters.

The 13-foot-long “Devolved Parliament” is the stencil-slinging graffiti artist’s largest known canvas, according to Sotheby’s.