Christie's to Auction Several Paintings by Street Artist Banksy

Although his identity remains a mystery, Banksy's provocative graffiti are among today's most iconic and controversial street art images. He first began tagging the walls of the city of Bristol in the southwest of England in the early 1990s,  but his fame skryrocketed when he moved to London in 2000. Since then, he has left his mark on cities around the world, from Bristol to Barcelona to Bethlehem.

In addition to his street art, for more than 20 years Banksy has been producing paintings for sale and his first commercial prints date back to 2002.

"Banksy didn't create prints prints to make money. They were sold for low prices in order to democratise his art and make it accessible," explains James Baskerville, senior specialist (Prints & Multiples). "People were often buying the art as if it was a poster, with no awareness of its future value."

Christie’s is launching an auction of several of his works in a few days. Prices start at £10,000. His more significant pieces, such as the screenprinc Choose Your Weapon, will be starting at £100,000.