Banksy's '$130,000' Hurricane Katrina commemoration comes to auction

A painting featuring one of the images created by the enigmatic Oscar-nominated graffiti artist Banksy, to commemorate the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, is to be sold at Bonhams this month.

The work forms part of the London auction house's Post War and Contemporary Art and Design sale on April 13. It has attracted a pre-sale estimate of £50,000 - 80,000.

The image was first produced as one of more than a dozen murals that Banksy grafittied onto buildings around the city of New Orleans in September 2008. While this image, entitled NOLA, depicts a young girl sheltering from red rain under an umbrella, other pictures included a young boy flying a fridge like a kite and Abraham Lincoln as a homeless man.

NOLA could achieve £80,000 at Bonhams this month

This specimen is a signed canvas work by Banksy using stencil spray paint and emulsion. It was given as a gift by Banksy to the consignor.

Banksy, who earlier this year was nominated for an Oscar for his first feature documentary film Exit Through The Gift Shop, said of the piece: "Three years after Katrina I wanted to make a statement about the state of the clean-up operation."

The sale is also offering another famous Banksy image, Balloon Girl, 2003. It has an estimate of £30,000 - 50,000 and is sure to appeal to art investors.