LOS ANGELES, CA.- Julien’s Auctions, the world record-breaking auction house to the stars, held Sip, Bid and Win: An Evening of Drinks and Art, Street, Contemporary, Pop and Fine Art last night Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 in Beverly Hills with a VIP reception prior to the auction in front of a spirited audience of collectors and bidders attending live in the gallery, on the phone and online at
juliensauctions.com. Over 50 works by some of the most talked about artists and revolutionary iconoclasts of our time including Banksy, Damien Hirst, Shepard Fairey, David Hockney, George Rodrique as well as sculptural works by KAWS and more were sold.
The top selling lot of the evening, Bomb Middle England, created by the renowned and enigmatic British artist known as Banksy, sold for $500,000, well over its original estimate of $200,000.
The early and unique aerosol mural executed by Banksy on the wall of the Parisian art studio and boutique “Surface to Air” (S2A) possibly around the time of his 2003 art exhibition there, “Banksy: Graffiti Lies and Deviousness” mural on concrete features a group of elderly ladies playing the genteel English game of bowling, using bombs on a bowling green bowling ball bombs down a strip of grass. The artwork, later partially covered in whitewash then removed to reveal its entirety, was visible in the music video for the song “We Are Your Friends” by the group Justice, which was filmed at S2A and subsequently won the MTV Euro Music “Best Video” award in 2006.
Other iconic works from Banksy sold included: Toxic Rat, a circa 2007 original hand-cut paper stencil used by Banksy to create his famous "Toxic Rat" aerosol paintings that appeared in London around the mid-2000s which sold for $62,500, over twice its original estimate of $30,000 and Morons (Sepia), a limited edition and signed 2007 screenprint on paper dated 216/300 and accompanied by a signed COA from Pest Control, which sold for $115,200, over its original estimate of $80,000. In 2018, Julien’s Auctions made headlines with its sale of Banksy’s mural Slave Labour for $730,000.
Additional highlights of last night’s auction included (with winning bids): Beautiful, Struggling to Consume and Times to Overwhelm Potential Painting, a household gloss spin circle painting on canvas signed by Damien Hirst ($128,000); a signed limited edition Panama Hat etching and aquatint on paper signed by David Hockney ($38,400); George Rodrigue’s Dressed To Kill, a 1992 original double-sided, oil on shaped mahogany painting by the famed Louisiana artist featuring his iconic Blue Dog figure donning a red polka dot tie on one side and without the tie on the other ($32,000); KAWS’ black four foot companion cast vinyl figure ($62,500); an aerosol on six interlocking floor tiles obtained from the art studio of Sylvester Stallone ($12,800); and more
