BLINK-182’s MARK HOPPUS is selling his prized BANKSY PAINTING.
Hoppus has decided to part ways with Banksy’s iconic “Crude Oil (Vettriano)” artwork, which he and his wife Skye acquired in 2011.
The rare hand-painted piece created by Banksy in 2005 will hit the auction block next month on March 4th in London at Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction and has an estimated value of $3.8 and $6.3 million.
“We loved this painting since the moment we saw it,” Mark said via a press release. “Unmistakably Banksy, but different. We bought it because we loved it. It’s borne witness to our family over these past dozen years. It hung over the table in London where we ate breakfast and our son did his homework. It hung in our living room in Los Angeles. It’s seen laughter and tears and parties and arguments. Our son has grown up in front of it.”
“This painting has meant so much to us and been such an amazing part of our lives, and now I’m excited for it to be out there in the world, seen by as many as possible. Go get ‘em. Godspeed,” Mark added.
Speaking about Banksy’s work in general, he said: “I love Banksy’s art. The subversion, the humour, the intelligence, the f*ck you.”
Both Mark and Skye plan on donating part of the proceeds to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and their Child Life Program, Cedars Sinai Haematology Oncology Research, and the California Fire Foundation.
They also plan on using some of the funds to buy more artwork from up-and-coming artists.
“Coming back to punk rock, one aspect of the community I always hold dear is, if you get lucky enough to gain success, you bring your friends with you,” Mark said. “Larger bands bring smaller bands on tour. We support one another from within. I want to take some of the money from the sale of this painting and use it to buy works from younger, upcoming artists. We were lucky enough to find ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’ in our lives, and it’ll help us support more art and artists. I want to be a f***ing Medici.”
