Banksy's 'Show Me the Monet' auctioned at a whopping £7.5 million in London

Renowned artist Banksy’s representation of an Impressionism painting of 1899 was sold on Wednesday, at the rate of £7.5 million. The masterpiece has become the second-most expensive illustration to be created by an English street artist. The painting was recreated in the year 2005, by adding a few modern objects like a shopping trolley to classic artwork. The original painting was created in 1899 by Claude Monet and was titled The Water Lily Pond. Twitter has been quite divided over the subject as some people love the representation while others do not have a high opinion of it.

Banksy’s ‘Show me the Monet’ sells for £7.5m

Banksy’s famous work, Show Me the Monet, was sold in London, on Wednesday, at £7.5 million, which converts to $9.5 million. It was estimated that the piece would sell at 5 million pounds but the final selling price left quite a few people surprised. Show me the Monet was sold to an unidentified bidder in an event which was held by the reputed auction company, Sotheby’s.

Through the 2005 painting, artist Banksy has given a modern touch to the Impressionism painting called The Water Lily Pond. In the original painting by Claude Monet, a less-maintained pond has been showcased with a river bridge passing above it. The bridge is covered in moss and creeping plants while the pond is covered in lilies. In the recreated version, Banky has added two shopping trollies, one of which is inverted. Both these trollies are seen floating in the pond along with a traffic cone. All the modern objects have been kept yellow in colour, to make sure they stand out in the painting.

Read Banksy Artwork Sells For Almost $10 Million At Auction

Also read Banksy Unveils New Coronavirus-related Artwork, First-ever Footage Featuring Himself

The European head of contemporary art, Alex Branczik, was of the stance that this illustration is the strongest and most iconic Banksy piece to be presented at an auction. 

A number of people have been divided over the high price of the Banksy piece. However, it is not Banky’s first piece to be sold at a high price. Previously, he had sold the famous layered painting, Devolved Parliament, at the price of £9.9 million. The masterpiece touches upon various topics including politics and human behaviour.

Read Banksy Unveils New Artwork Inspired By George Floyd’s Death, Speaks Out On Racism

Also read 10 Influential Artworks By The Elusive Graffiti Painter Banksy To Beat Quarantine Blues

Image courtesy: Sotheby's Twitter