Rare Banksy artwork to be auctioned in Glasgow

Auctioneers estimate the screenprint could fetch £60,000

A rare Banksy artwork is to be auctioned in Glasgow next month.

The screenprint, titled 'AGILE', was produced especially as a gift and includes a personal dedication from the artist.

It is expected to be sold for up to £60,000 when it goes under the hammer at McTear's on 14 December.

The artwork is similar to a limited edition run of 50 prints sold for a fundraiser in 2022 to support people affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

About 1.3 million applications were submitted for those pieces.

However, the signed ‘AGILE’ screenprint was not part of the limited edition and was produced specially as a gift to the current vendor.

It is signed with the personal dedication, ‘Thanks Chris’ followed by a peace symbol.

The buyer will be given a certificate of authenticity from Pest Control, Banksy's verification platform.

The screenprint features a white mouse sliding down a freight box marked ''FRAGILE.''

The rodent’s claws have scratched out the 'F' and 'R,' leaving behind the word 'AGILE’ – a nod to the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

It is believed the distinctive scratch marks were made using a pizza cutter, with each print featuring a different scratch pattern.

An exhibition of Banksy's work was recently held in Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art

The serial number on the freight box is a reference to the completion date of the artwork.

McTear’s director Magda Ketterer: “The personal dedication and the fact that this piece was produced separately from the original edition of 50, lift this artwork to a different level.

''We rarely see Banksy works of this quality come to auction in Scotland, and it is wonderful that it will go under the hammer in Glasgow, a city that is close to the artist’s heart."

The Glasgow exhibition featured Going Going Gone, the stencil piece of the girl with the heart balloon that was shredded live during an auction

Earlier this year, an exhibition by the famous graffiti artist at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art attracted 180,000 visitors during its 10-week run.

Gallery bosses said the artist's first official solo exhibition for 14 years broke box office records.

The show was a behind-the-scenes look at the process of Banksy making his work.

The exhibition included a detailed model explaining exactly how Banksy managed to shred his Girl With Balloon painting during an auction at Sotheby's in London in 2018.

The work had just been auctioned for £1m, when an alarm went off inside the frame and the picture dropped into a hidden shredder.

A malfunction meant that the destruction stopped just over halfway.

Other exhibits included the Union flag stab vest worn by Stormzy when he headlined Glastonbury in 2019 and pieces previously only seen in Bethlehem in the West Bank, including a pillow fight between an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian citizen.

The record-breaking Glasgow exhibition ended in August

Banksy had held an exhibition in Glasgow previously though it was a far lower profile event.

He was a relative unknown when in 2001 he jointly put on Peace Is Tough at The Arches venue, with Jamie Reid, famous for his design work with The Sex Pistols.

Banksy has not given a face-to-face interview since 2003 and has never revealed his true identity, but he is believed to be around 50 and from the Bristol area.

His identity remains unconfirmed to the public but in a recent unearthed BBC interview, the artist said his first name was ''Robbie.''