An original Banksy drawing has sold for nearly $13 million - in cryptocurrency.
Love is in the Air, one of Banksy's best-known works, was sold at Sotheby's this week for $12.9m (approximately £9.2m), and the buyer will be paying in crypto, according to the auction house.
Sotheby's said four bidders were after the Banksy piece, culminating in a 14-minute bidding war. It said the auction marked "the first time cryptocurrency was accepted as a payment option for a physical artwork".
The piece was estimated to be worth a mere $3m - $5m before the auction, so the seller will be feeling pleased.
However, it appears that seller is not Banksy himself: the auction notes state the piece comes from a "private north American collection".
They acquired it from Lazarides Gallery in London in 2006, a year after the piece was first painted.
Love is in the Air, also known as Flower Thrower or simply Thrower, is perhaps most recognisable from the cover of Wall and Piece, Banksy's 2005 book. It depicts a man lobbing a bunch of flowers in place of a grenade or rock or other projectile.
The original measures 90cm x 90cm, but has been reproduced, replicated, and imitated countless times.
The sale makes Love is in the Air one of the most expensive Banksy artworks. His most expensive, however, remains Game Changer, which sold earlier this year for £16.7m, with the proceeds going to charity.
