Despite his prankish beginnings, Banksy has earned himself a place of renown in the mainstream art world. His coveted murals are sold by lucky landlords and then turn up at high-end art fairs and exhibitions around the world. Now, Banksy seems poised to conquer the luxury car market too—sort of.
A work that the artist painted onto a Volvo FL6 box truck back in 2000 is headed to Bonhams for the auction house’s Goodwood Revival car sale in Chichester, England, on September 14. There, it will hit the block alongside high-octane Aston Martins, Bugattis, and Porsches. The used truck would typically sell for just a few thousand dollars, but covered in Banksy’s graffiti it is expected to fetch between £1 million and £1.5 million ($1.3 million–$2 million).
“Banksy is arguably the most important artist to have emerged since the millennium and this, his largest commercial work, represents a new high watermark of quality for works of his to appear at auction,” said Ralph Taylor, Bonhams head of postwar and contemporary art, in a statement. “The composition bears all the hallmarks of this peerless agent provocateur.”
The owner of the Turbozone International Circus Company, known for its pyrotechnic productions, asked Banksy to use the truck as a canvas for an outdoor party in Spain to celebrate the start of the new millennium. Banksy worked on the painting, titled Turbo Zone Truck (Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be in Charge), that night and the next two weeks, and the truck subsequently went on tour with Turbozone, traveling throughout Europe and to South America.
Banksy, SWAT Van (2006) sold for £218,500 ($267,226) at Bonhams London in 2016. Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
This isn’t the first time Bonhams has sold a Banksy-adorned vehicle. In the auction house’s June 2016 “Post-War & Contemporary Art” sale, a Swat van painted by the artist fetched £218,500 ($267,226) on an estimate of £200,000–£300,000 ($290,000–$430,000). Banksy made the piece for his breakout 2006 “Barely Legal” show in Los Angeles.
Banksy’s auction record currently stands at £1 milllion ($1.4 million) for his Girl With Balloon, which he rigged to self-shred after the hammer dropped for it at Sotheby’s London last year. Could the luxury car sale be Banksy’s next target? Here’s hoping the auction house security team does a thorough sweep.
See more photos of the work below.
Banksy, detail of Turbo Zone Truck (Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be in Charge) (2000). Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
Banksy, Turbo Zone Truck (Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be in Charge) (2000). Courtesy of Bonhams.
Banksy, detail of Turbo Zone Truck (Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be in Charge) (2000). Courtesy of Bonhams.