Banksy’s Spray-Painted Cargo Truck is a Hit!
If you want to own a really major piece of Banksy artwork that won’t be able to hang on your wall, today just might be a very lucky day. The iconic auction house Bonhams is going to feature a graffiti-covered 1988 Volvo FL6 cargo truck spray-painted by Banksy, the British street artist at its Goodwood Revival sale later this year.
At Service King Deer Valley in Phoenix, AZ, we love fun stories about artists, cars, and big money--and this blog has all three!
If you’re not familiar with Banksy, he is an artistic rebel who creates “anti-art.” He loathes the conventional and makes art that is both moving and, more importantly-shocking.
From what we’ve heard upfront, we can only hope that Banksy’s latest work, which is estimated to sell between $1.3 to $2 million, will not self-destruct after the auction is complete. Last year, his 2006 artwork Girl with Balloon sold at Sotheby’s London for $1.4 million and was promptly destroyed as the auction ended by a secret shredder built directly into the piece’s frame.
Bonhams claims the 17-ton artwork, which is called Turbo Zone Truck (Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be in Charge), is the biggest work ever created by the enigmatic artist. It measures 12 feet tall, 8 feet wide, and a full 33 feet long, and comes with a registered certificate of authenticity issued by Banksy’s studio, known as “Pest Control.”
The vehicle was painted in Madrid, Spain by Banksy during a 2-week period back in 2000 as part of the legendary Turbozone International Circus. The Volvo traveled internationally for 3 years and features some of the artist’s earliest well-known anarchistic images. One side of the diesel-powered box truck is emblazoned with an army of flying comical monkeys and a punk rock worker sledgehammering a television, while the other is an illustration of riot police running away from a cannon that is mounted on the back of a Brahma bull.
This isn’t the first automobile spray-painted by Banksy to be auctioned. In 2016, a SWAT van stenciled by the artist sold for $320,000 at Bonhams Post-War & Contemporary Art Auction. Will collectors shell out millions or more for an old used and spray-painted Volvo cargo truck? Your guess is as good as ours, but we’d guess that Banksy is more concerned with planning his next artistic statement than how much he will get for this old car!
Service King Deer Valley in Phoenix, AZ 85027
Sources: LA Times and MSN
Social