Covid: Banksy painting for NHS charity sells for £14.4m

The nurse's arm is outstretched and pointing forward in the fashion of a superhero on a mission

A Banksy painting depicting a young boy playing with a superhero nurse doll has raised more than £16m for an NHS charity after being sold at auction.

Game Changer, by the anonymous graffiti artist, appeared in a foyer at Southampton General Hospital during the first wave of the pandemic.

Christie's said the hammer price of £14.4m for the 1m (3ft) x 1m work was a "world auction record" for a Banksy.

Including a buyer's premium, the purchaser paid £16.8m.

Christie's said it would be donating "a significant portion" of its premium, meaning a total of "more than £16m" would go to Southampton Hospitals Charity.

Banksy had previously said the £9.9m received for his piece Devolved Parliament, showing the House of Commons overrun with chimpanzees, was the highest ever paid for one of his paintings.

Banksy's Devolved Parliament sold for £9.9m in 2019

The artwork was delivered to the hospital in May with a note, which said: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white."

It was hung near the emergency department and staff told the BBC at the time that it had helped boost morale.

A reproduction of the canvas will remain on display at the hospital.

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Auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen said Banksy's pledge to donate the proceeds to the NHS was "an incredible gesture" and described the sale as a "historic moment".

A pre-sale estimate of £2.5m to £3.5m had been placed on the work.

The image shows a young boy kneeling and playing with a nurse superhero doll, complete with cape, while Batman and Spider-Man lie discarded in a nearby bin.

Prior to the auction, Christie's said the artwork offered "an image of hope" and represented a "personal tribute to those who continue to turn the tide of the pandemic".

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