Banksy reimagining of iconic painting by the late Jack Vettriano sells for £4.3 million

A Banksy reimagining of a work by the late Scottish painter Jack Vettriano has sold at auction for £4.3 million.

Crude Oil (Vettriano) was put up for sale by Blink 182 bassist Mark Hoppus who bought the painting in 2011 following a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

The painting depicts the Fife-born artist’s best known work, The Singing Butler, which features a couple dancing on a storm-swept beach with an attendant butler serenading them.

The image went on to become one of the most celebrated pictures in Britain and sold at Sotheby’s in 2004 for £744,800 – the highest price for any Scottish painting sold at auction at the time.

Despite the artist’s enthusiastic reception by ‘ordinary’ people, Vettriano was shunned by the art world elite, a disconnect that struck a nerve with Banksy, who had also long been criticised by the art establishment.

The sale to a private collector at Sotheby’s in London comes just days after Vettriano was found dead aged 73 at his apartment in France.

The entirely hand-painted work, created using oil and spray paints, was first exhibited in 2005 and was estimated to fetch between £3m and £5m in the sale.

‘We loved this painting since the moment we saw it,’ Hoppus  said.

‘Unmistakably Banksy, but different. We bought it because we loved it. It’s borne witness to our family over these past dozen years.

‘It hung over the table in London where we ate breakfast and our son did his homework. It hung in our living room in Los Angeles. It’s seen laughter and tears and parties and arguments. Our son has grown up in front of it.

‘This painting has meant so much to us and been such an amazing part of our lives, and now I’m excited for it to be out there in the world, seen by as many as possible.’

A portion of the funds from the sale will benefit two charities dear to Mark and his family’s hearts: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and their Child Life Program, and Cedars Sinai Haematology Oncology Research.

In light of the recent devastation in their home city of Los Angeles, they will also use some of the proceeds to continue their donations to the California Fire Foundation.

‘This isn’t just an iconic Banksy, it is a Banksy that has been treasured by music legend, Mark Hoppus, who fell for this work for its rebellious spirit, raw edge and unfiltered expression – the fundamentals that also shaped Mark’s world: Punk culture,’ Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s Chairman, Europe, said.

‘Street art and Punk Rock share the same vocabulary – they speak to the outsider, the rebel and the overlooked.

‘Both movements were born from the margins. They challenge authority and re-write the rules, a fundamental trait shared by Mark and Banksy.

‘Now, by sharing Crude Oil (Vettriano) with the world, Mark will open others’ eyes to the true power art can have; to spark conversation and challenge the way we see the world around us.’

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