Smith & Singer

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Banksy Does the Business

19 May 2021

Financial Review  |  Gabriella Coslovich

In Australia and around the world the irreverent British graffiti artist is becoming more sought after and the prices at auction have become as much a talking point as the works themselves.

In his 2005 monograph Wall and Piece the elusive British street artist Banksy wrote ‘Despite what they say graffiti is not the lowest form of art’.  And if the measure of merit is in the price people are prepared to pay for an artist’s work (an enduringly debatable point), then Banksy has proved himself right many times over.

Australian Who Found Authentic Banksy Print for $300 Sells it for Staggering $184,000

14 May 2021

7 NEWS  |  Alex Turner-Cohen

One Australian has walked away almost $200,000 richer after a lucky find at an art store in Sydney. In 2003, a customer walked into the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) store in Sydney’s Circular Quay and picked up a Bansky print for less than $300. The painting was a copy of infamous street artist Banksy’s iconic Love Is In The Air with a red background, which depicts a protester throwing flowers.  After the purchase, Smith and Singer, Australia’s auction house for paintings, discovered that the artwork was indeed authentic as it was number 450 of an edition of 500 printed by Banksy in 2003.

On Thursday night, 17 years after it was first purchased, the print sold for $184,091 on the international market.

Banksy Print Bought for $300 Sets Record Australian Price at Auction

14 May 2021

The Age  |  Kerrie O'Brien

An Australian record has been set for the sale of a Banksy print with the anonymous artist’s Love Is In the Air (2003) selling at auction for nearly $200,000.  Purchased by an unidentified bidder in America, it was offered in a single-lot, 10-day, online auction by Smith & Singer on Wednesday night and attracted bidders from around the world. It sold for $184,091, doubling the previous Australian record of $73,000.

The Daily Telegraph  |  Elizabeth Fortescue

A Banksy screen print picked up at the MCA Store at Circular Quay for less than $300 in 2003 is estimated to fetch its lucky owner between $100,000 and $150,000 at auction this month, eclipsing Banksy’s Australian auction record.

Banksy’s Love Is In The Air is number 450 of an edition of 500 printed in 2003, according to Smith and Singer auctioneers’ chairman Geoffrey Smith.

Herald Sun  |  Elizabeth Fortescue

A $300 Banksy artwork bought at the MCA Store in 2003 has emerged as the art bargain of a lifetime.  A Banksy screen print picked up at the MCA Store at Circular Quay for less than $300 in 2003 is estimated to fetch its lucky owner between $100,000 and $150,000 at auction this month, eclipsing Banksy’s Australian auction record.

Banksy’s Love Is In The Air is number 450 of an edition of 500 printed in 2003, according to Smith and Singer auctioneers’ chairman Geoffrey Smith.

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