Banksy’s reinterpretation of “The Singing Butler” fetches record price at Sotheby’s
A rare Banksy painting, which offers a striking reinterpretation of Jack Vettriano’s iconic artwork The Singing Butler, has sold for nearly £4.3 million ($5.5 million) at a London auction, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday.
A tribute amid Vettriano’s passing
The sale of Banksy’s “Crude Oil (Vettriano)” comes just a day after the death of Scottish painter Jack Vettriano, whose passing at age 73 was widely mourned in the art world.
Vettriano’s Singing Butler—depicting a couple dancing elegantly on a windswept beach, accompanied by a butler and maid holding umbrellas—became the UK’s best-selling print reproduction, surpassing works by Monet and Van Gogh. When it sold for £744,800 at auction in 2004, it set a Scottish record.
Banksy’s version, sometimes referred to as “Toxic Beach,” disrupts the romantic scene by adding a sinking oil liner and hazmat-suited workers wheeling toxic waste onto the shore.
A Banksy masterpiece finds a new owner
The painting was auctioned by Mark Hoppus, co-founder of pop-punk band Blink-182, who originally purchased the artwork.
“Banksy used his trademark humor and irony to produce an image that tackles pressing issues of the 21st century—such as the environment, pollution, and the capitalist landscape,” Sotheby’s stated ahead of the sale.
The auction house emphasized that the work feels “more relevant today than ever before,” given the increasing frequency of natural disasters.
From punk rock to the art world
Hoppus reflected on the painting’s presence in his home over the years.
“It’s seen laughter and tears and parties and arguments. Our son has grown up in front of it,” he shared.
Now, he plans to use some of the proceeds to support emerging artists, buying works from younger, upcoming talents.
The legacy of Vettriano
The sale coincided with tributes to Vettriano, a self-taught artist whose fans included Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson. His body was discovered in his Nice, France apartment over the weekend, according to his publicist.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney praised Vettriano for overcoming humble beginnings to become a household name, creating “iconic” paintings that graced the walls of homes and galleries worldwide.”
Born into poverty in an industrial Scottish town, Vettriano left school at 15 to work as a mining engineer. He discovered his talent for art when a girlfriend gifted him a watercolor set on his 21st birthday.
Despite his commercial success, Vettriano often clashed with the art world elite, who dismissed his work as “brainless” and “dim erotica.” In 2015, he pushed back against critics, saying they resented his popularity “because it takes away part of their authority.”
Banksy: The elusive street art icon
Banksy, whose true identity remains unknown, is renowned for his politically charged murals and stencil-based graffiti that appear unexpectedly on urban walls. Since the early 2000s, his works have fetched tens of millions of dollars at auction, attracting an A-list clientele.
Hoppus will donate a portion of the proceeds to two Los Angeles medical charities and the California Fire Foundation, supporting victims of the devastating wildfires in January, Sotheby’s confirmed.
