One of the most important auctions of urban art in recent years is taking place at DIGARD AUCTION, the leading auction house for works by Banksy, on Monday 1 June.
Over 150 pieces by international artists such as Banksy, Connor Harrington, Nick Walker, Jef Aerosol, Jeff Koons, Nick Walker, Damian Hirst and Pure Evil all go under the hammer at the auction house in Paris on Monday, June 1st.
Silent Majority by Banksy, almost 10 metres long and created in collaboration with Inkie, is presented at auction for the first time and expected to reach up to 400,000 euros. His Flying Copper from 2003, at 205.8cm by 122cm, is set to reach up to 107,000 euros.
On Saturday 30 May, leading street artists will be painting live outside the Drouot, and Silent Majority will be on display to the public.
The artists live painting will be BRUSK, CASE, INKIE, KASHINK, MAST, RONE, SET and VINZ FEEL FREE.
With prices expected to reach between 600 and 400,000 euros, the auction represents a unique collection of street art, not seen anywhere else.
Other works include spray paints of icons such as Nelson Mandela, John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe as well as military and riot scenes depicting modern man’s eternal fascination with personal combat at a time when war is beginning to be waged by remote control.
One of the star-pieces of the auction is an untitled 165.5cm by 180cm spray paint and acrylic on canvas by former graffiti artist Conor Harrington, whose blend of the historical and hypermodern is unsurpassed.
Jonone’s Kay Dogg Blue Brush Strokes, an acrylic on canvas at 120cm by 190cm from 2004, is estimated at up to 17,900 euros, while Damien Hirst’s butterflies, The Souls IV (Fuchsia Pink and Raven Black) are set to fetch 4,200 euros each.
Conflict, environmental issues and other social commentary feature strongly in this important auction. Riot Scene by Christian Guémy, aka C215, is another piece on wood interpreting the conflicts within modern masculine identity – a strong theme among the new breed of artists who have risen out of the street graffiti scene. C215 is one of the most important street artists in France, painting on old doors and broken walls so as to be interactive with those who live in the area. Riot Scene is set to reach 3,500 euros.
British artist Pure Evil returned to London from California and, inspired by the US skateboard culture and armed with an aerosol spray, established himself as a major street artist with a gothic graffiti pop style. His Millers Nightmare from 2012, a spray paint of Marilyn Monroe on wooden slated board, is estimated at up to 3,500 euros.
Another star artist in the auction is Nick Walker, who is credited with being a big influence on Banksy after introducing stencil graffiti to his hometown of Bristol in the early 1980s. Walker was invited by the late film director Stanley Kubrick to recreate the graffitied streets of New York for his film Eyes Wide Shut.
The work will be auctioned on Monday 1st June 2015 at DIGARD AUCTION in Paris at Hotel Drouot.
Sale preview Saturday 30 May, Sunday 31st May and Monday 1st June 2015 in Room 10 and 16 at the Hotel Drouot in Paris.
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