On Tuesday, a Banksy painting from the artist’s Crude Oil series sold for £4.3 million ($5.5 million) at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction in London.
“Graffiti writers and drunken teenagers do not do the real damage done to our environment, but by big business… exactly the people who put gold-framed pictures of landscapes on their walls and try to tell the rest of us how to behave” – Banksy 2005.
The artwork, which had been part of the collection of Mark Hoppus, co-founder of the pop-punk band Blink-182, was acquired by Hoppus in 2011. It was estimated to sell for between £3 million and £ 5 million (3.8 million to $6.3 million).
The piece initially debuted at Banksy’s groundbreaking 2005 exhibition, Crude Oils: A Gallery of Re-mixed Masterpieces, Vandalism and Vermin, held in a vacant London shop. The exhibition showcased the artist’s reimagined versions of famous masterpieces, critiquing environmental destruction. Live rats roamed the gallery, adding an unexpected and provocative element. These rats, often associated with urban decay, were a reminder of the consequences of environmental destruction that Banksy has championed.
Banksy’s Crude Oil (Vettriano) is a reinterpretation of Scottish artist Jack Vettriano’s 1992 painting, The Singing Butler. Vettriano’s work depicts a well-dressed couple dancing on a windswept beach. Banksy reimagines the beach scene as the elegant couple continues to dance, and a butler holds an umbrella over them. The painting also includes two toxic waste removal men on the beach with a sinking oil tankard in the distance. Banksy’s appropriated artwork sold just days after Vettriano’s death at 73 in France, adding a layer of insight to the piece.
Banksy’s auction record remains at £18.4 million (including fees) for the 2021 Love Is in the Bin sale. This piece shredded itself during a live Sotheby’s auction in 2018—the work was later retitled Girl Without Balloon when displayed in Seoul in 2023.
Two of Banksy’s top five auction records are from the Crude Oil series, a nod to the impact of his work on the art world stage. Show Me the Monet, a tribute to Monet, fetched £7.6 million ($9.9 million) at Sotheby’s London in October 2020, ranking as his fifth-highest sale.
Crude Oil (Vettriano) was purchased by Hoppus and his wife, Skye, in 2011 from a private collection shortly after the couple relocated from Los Angeles to London with their son. “We loved this painting from the moment we saw it,” Hoppus said. “It’s unmistakably Banksy but also unique. It’s been a part of our family for over a decade.” The painting hung in their London home, witnessing family meals, homework sessions, and countless memories. “It’s seen laughter, tears, parties, and arguments. Our son grew up in front of it. This painting has meant so much to us, and now I’m excited for it to be seen by as many people as possible.”
The sale precedes the publication of Hoppus’s memoir, Fahrenheit-182, on April 8. The couple plans to use part of the proceeds to expand their art collection, focusing on emerging artists. Donations will also be donated to charities, including the Child Life Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Cedars Sinai Hematology Oncology Research.
Additionally, some funds will support the California Fire Foundation in response to the devastating wildfires that impacted Los Angeles in January.
Top Photo: MARK HOPPUS PHOTOGRAPHED IN HIS FAMILY’S LOS ANGELES HOME IN FEBRUARY 2025. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAX MONTGOMERY COURTESY SOTHEBY’S