Banksy artwork set to fetch up to £300,000 at auction in Los Angeles
An artwork by Bristol-based graffiti artist Banksy is set to sell for up to $400,000 (£300,000) as it goes under the hammer in Los Angeles.
The work by anonymous painter Bomb Middle England is part of a collection of works including other ‘revolutionary iconoclasts’ such as Shepard Fairey, Damien Hirst and David Hockney.
The auction is being hosted by Julien’s Auction House and will take place in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 16.
The Banksy is believed to have been created in 2003 and first featured on the wall of a Parisian studio and art shop.
It depicts a group of older women playing a game of bowls on a putting green using bombs instead of bowling balls.
Sellers say the piece’s estimate is between $200-400,000 (£150-300,000).
Other items from the enigmatic artist include Banksy’s original hand-cut paper stencil used to create his Toxic Rat spray paints that appeared in London in the mid-2000s.
It is expected to sell for between $30-50,000 (£22-40,000).
A limited edition, signed 2007 screen print on paper dated 216/300 and accompanied by a signed COA from Pest Control is expected to fetch around $80-100,000 (£60-75,000).
The sale also includes pieces by other British artists Hirst and Hockney.
Hirst’s Beautiful, Struggling to Consume and Times to Overwhelm Potential Painting, signed and dated by the painter, is expected to cost between $100-200,000 (£75-150,000).
A signed, limited-edition print of Hockney’s Panama Hat is estimated at $30-50,000 (£22-40,000).
Martin Nolan, Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions, said: “Julien’s Auctions is proud to present this exceptional collection made up of major art world personalities and visionaries who have made the world their canvas and transformed street art. and contemporary into a global phenomenon.
“These important pieces of the modern art movement of the 20th and 21st centuries have captured our collective consciousness and imagination to inspire pop culture, activism and change.”