Banksy ‘Show Me the Monet’ sells for nearly $10 million at auction

LONDON — French impressionist Claude Monet, a passionate naturalist and founder of the unique painting style, began a series of 18 views of a wooden footbridge on his Giverny property in 1899.

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He often painted similar scenes to reflect different times of day, seasons of the year and perspective.

Street artist Banksy, known mainly for politically charged graffiti, created a version of Monet’s 1899 “Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies,” adding partially submerged shopping carts and a parking cone in 2005.

The ode, titled “Show Me the Monet,” sold for $9.8 million this week at a Sotheby’s auction in London, surpassing expectation. It was anticipated that it would sell for about $6.5 million. It is the second-highest price paid for a Banksy work.

Banksy, whose identity has never been officially revealed, has become one of the world’s best-known and priciest artists.

Earlier this month, “Forgive Us Our Trespassing” sold for $8.3 million at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. And last year, his work “Devolved Parliament” sold for $13 million at Sotheby’s in London.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group