Jamie Oliver says he once ditched some original Banksy paintings as they were not to his taste. The TV chef was gifted the now sought-after artworks when they “weren’t worth that much”. He confessed he got rid of them as he didn’t want them on display. The guerrilla artist’s work can now fetch millions. Jamie, 49, said: “In the 90s, it was all Cool Britannia. I’d go to Banksy shows and all the art would be elephants and rhinos. I was like, ‘What’s this all about?’ I got given Banksys for presents, for real – they weren’t worth that much then. I got rid of them because I didn’t want them hanging on my wall.”.
The value of Banksy’s work has increased significantly over the past 20 years. An original can cost from £200,000 to £300,000, while signed prints start from around £35,000. The most expensive Banksy ever sold at auction was Love is in the Bin, which fetched £18.6million in 2021. It was created at an earlier auction when his Girl with Balloon began to shred itself at the sale.
Former couple and Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are the most famous fans of Banksy, having paid £1 million for a collection of his works at a London auction in 2007. Other celebs to be proud owners of his work include supermodel Kate Moss, rapper Drake and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
One of the world ’s most famous artists, but despite his global following Banksy's identity remains unknown. Although there has been plenty of speculation over the years about who it could be, it has never been officially confirmed. Banksy rose to prominence after he began spray-painting his now-trademark stencilled designs around Bristol in the early 1990s. In the early 2000s, he moved to London and continued to attract attention with his satirical street art. in 2018, he staged a live destruction of his stencil Girl with Balloon at Sotheby's auction house - moments after it was sold for £1m. Stormzy wore a Banksy customised stab-proof vest for his performance at Glastonbury in 2019.
