A Banksy "Vandalized" Painting Highlighting Climate Change Could Fetch Between $4M to $7M USD

Banksy‘s Subject to Availability oil painting is set to highlight Christie’s June 2021 20th century sale. The work is presented at Christie’s headquarters in London and is considered one of the artist’s most important pieces from his series of “vandalized” oil paintings.

The 2009 piece features a defaced rendition of Albert Bierstadt’s 1890 painting of Mount Rainier National Park. In true Banksy fashion, the street artist inserts a commentary in asterisks on the bottom right corner of the idyllic landscape painting, noting “Subject to availability for a limited period.”

Katharine Arnold, Christie’s co-head of postwar and contemporary art tells Artnet, “Banksy’s witty dialogue with the art historical canon brings the painting sharply into the current context of the global climate crisis.” Similar to Banksy, who has poignantly created works that were related to pollution, Bierstadt often depicted his concern about the climate, even campaigning against the destruction of nature throughout the industrial revolution.

Arnold alludes that Banksy’s artistic remark on global warming has rendered timeless adding, “Ten years on from its creation, the idyllic park it depicts has already been closed to the public since February 2020 due to severe flooding and landslides.”

Banksy’s climate-conscious oil-painting narrative is expected to fetch between £3 million and £5 million GBP (approximately $4.13 million to $7 million USD).

Subject to Availability will be presented at Christie’s London until May 7, 2021.

In other art news, Art Basel Hong Kong announces over 100 galleries for its 2021 return.