Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Sean Morrison

Banksy's migrant crossing paintings fetch £2.2 million at charity sale

A triptych of Banksy paintings which reference the European migrant crisis have sold for £2.2 million in a charity auction.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to help build a new acute stroke unit and purchase children's rehabilitation equipment for Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation.

The paintings, titled Mediterranean Sea View 2017, were originally estimated to sell for between £800,000 and £1.2 million in the Sotheby's sale.

The works depict romantic seascapes and added abandoned lifejackets and buoys in reference to the deaths of migrants travelling to the European Union.

The oil paintings were originally created for Banksy's Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, where they have hung since its opening in 2017.

The hotel, which overlooks the West Bank wall dividing Bethlehem, bills itself as having "the worst view of any hotel in the world" and is filled with original Banksy artwork.

The reclusive artist's latest stunt saw him graffiti the inside of a London Underground train carriage with messages about the spread of coronavirus.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.