Seventeen works by the anonymous graffiti artist Banksy are auctioning at Bonhams. Big art pieces in the sale include Leopard and Barcode, which will auction fresh-to-market with a £60,000-80,000 presale estimate.
The Urban Art Sale will be held by Bonhams and takes place in London on March 29.
Leopard and Barcode is rare, being one of five editions produced and autographed by Banksy.
Banksy's Leopard and Barcode has particularly good provenance, having been acquired from an exhibition called Existencilism at the 33 1/3 Gallery, Los Angeles by its present owner.
The sale is set to bring more success for Banksy, whose works show no signs of losing popularity among art collectors.
 Leopard and Barcode by Banksy |
Last year, scores of people queued for hours in the rain in Paul Fraser Collectibles' home city of Bristol, UK, in the hope of owning a rare Banksy print.
At the time, Paul described the £5 Banksy portraits as 'instant collectibles'.
Because of their rarity and demand, the prints instantly accrued value - to the extent that they were selling for £200 bringing a 4,000% profit on eBay within 24 hours.
"It seems that the public just can't get enough of [Banksy], and his continued anonymity, even following last year's Oscar nomination, only adds to his enigma," said Alan Montgomery, Urban Art Specialist at Bonhams, of the mysterious Urban Art star.
"Increased international interest means that he is no longer just collected in the UK, but now has a truly global following."
