Covid: Banksy painting for NHS charity sells for £14.

4m
A Tribute To the Health Workers from the NHS

Game Changer
Year: 2020

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 91×91 cm (35 7/8 x 35 7/8 inches)

Edition: Unique

Signed ‘BANKSY’ (lower right)

Auction History
Auction House: Christie’s London

Date: 23 March 2021

Price Realized: GBP 16,758,000 / USD 23,210,000

NEW WORLD RECORD AT AUCTION FOR BANKSY

PROCEEDS WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT THE WELLBEING OF UNIVERSITY
HOSPITAL SOUTHAMPTON STAFF AND PATIENTS

On 6 May 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a painting
appeared at University Hospital Southampton. In crisp, linear detail, it
showed a young boy playing with a selection of superhero dolls. In the
painting, Batman and Spiderman lie discarded in a bin; instead, the child
clutches a new idol. A masked, uniformed nurse soars to the rescue, her cape
fluttering and arm outstretched towards the sky.

The picture was accompanied by a note.

“Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a
bit, even if it’s only black and white.”
Having delighted staff and patients for the past ten months, Banksy’s
gift to the hospital now comes to auction. Titled Game Changer, it will be
sold to benefit the NHS—a reproduction will remain in its place. At a time
when the world has come to rely more than ever on the bravery and
resilience of its healthcare workers, the image of the boy and his new hero
speaks to an unprecedented global zeitgeist. Equally, the scene’s quiet
innocence captures the simple, universal values that have come to the fore
during the pandemic—family, home and time spent with loved ones. Up
until now, Game Changer has only been seen in person by frontline medical
staff and those admitted for treatment: the auction marks its first public
appearance outside the hospital.

Game Changer appeared at a time when people across the world rallied
in support of frontline medical staff: from doorstep cheers and rounds of
applause, to rainbows painted on household windows. The nurse’s red
cross, the only hint of color in an otherwise monochrome composition,
serves as a symbol of the pandemic’s international impact. This is technique
widely used by Banksy in his oeuvre to emphasize a message.

At the same time, the image of the young boy at play is one of universal
poignancy, capturing the renewed focus on domestic and familial life that
has come to define this period. Intricately rendered in oil, with the
expressive detail of a children’s book illustration, the work depicts a
moment of pure innocence, charting the play of light and shadow across the
boy’s face, hair and clothes.

Children have long featured in Banksy’s artworks—most famously his

iconic Girl with Balloon, frequently functioning as cautionary symbols of
damage to the next generation. Here, however, the child seems to look
towards a brighter dawn, safe in the knowledge that real superheroes do
walk among us.

Banksy began his career hiding from the eyes of the police as he
graffitied his way around the UK: first in his native Bristol, and
subsequently in London and beyond. His early freehand works gave way to
his signature use of hand-cut stencils, inspired by observing the lettering
on the underside of a bin lorry, where he had taken refuge from the police as
a teenager.

At the same time, as demonstrated by Game Changer, he continued to paint

freehand on canvas, working with precision and dexterity. The pandemic
has not put a stop to Banksy’s graffiti work: in July 2020, he took to the
London Underground, disguised as a cleaner, where he spray painted a
series of rats encouraging people to wear face masks. In December, a new
work entitled Aachoo—depicting a woman sneezing—appeared on the side
of a house in Bristol.

In a time of rapid and unsteady change, Game Changer ultimately offers an

image of hope. Irreverence, parody and calls to arms are absent: instead, it
represents a personal tribute to those who continue to turn the tide of the
pandemic. Its style is one of nostalgic purity, yet its message looks firmly
towards to the future. As an artwork, however, it will remain forever a
symbol of its time: a reminder of the world’s real game changers, and of the
vital work they perform.

For their part, the staff at Southampton General is thrilled by Banksy‘s

generosity, thanking the artist through Paula Head, CEO of the University
Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

“The fact that Banksy has chosen us to recognize the outstanding

contribution everyone in and with the NHS is making, in unprecedented
times, is a huge honor.”

“It will be really valued by everyone in the hospital, as people get a moment
in their busy lives to pause, reflect, and appreciate this piece of art. It will no
doubt also be a massive boost to morale for everyone who works and is
cared for at our hospital.”

__________________________________________
The nurse's arm is outstretched and pointing forward in the fashion of a superhero on a
mission

A Banksy painting depicting a young boy playing with a superhero nurse doll has raised
more than £16m for an NHS charity after being sold at auction.
Game Changer, by the anonymous graffiti artist, appeared in a foyer at Southampton
General Hospital during the first wave of the pandemic.

Christie's said the hammer price of £14.4m for the 1m (3ft) x 1m work was a "world auction
record" for a Banksy.
Including a buyer's premium, the purchaser paid £16.8m.
Christie's said it would be donating "a significant portion" of its premium, meaning a total of
"more than £16m" would go to Southampton Hospitals Charity.

Banksy had previously said the £9.9m received for his piece Devolved Parliament, showing
the House of Commons overrun with chimpanzees, was the highest ever paid for one of his
paintings.

Banksy's Devolved Parliament sold for £9.9m in 2019

The artwork was delivered to the hospital in May with a note, which said: "Thanks for all
you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white."

It was hung near the emergency department and staff told the BBC at the time that it had
helped boost morale.
A reproduction of the canvas will remain on display at the hospital.
 • Banksy artwork appears at hospital
• Banksy chimpanzee MPs painting sells for £9.9m
• Banksy confirms escaping prisoner artwork
Auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen said Banksy's pledge to donate the proceeds to the NHS was "an
incredible gesture" and described the sale as a "historic moment".
A pre-sale estimate of £2.5m to £3.5m had been placed on the work.
T he artwork, Game Changer, will eventually be auctioned off to raise funds for NHS
charities

The image shows a young boy kneeling and playing with a nurse superhero doll, complete
with cape, while Batman and Spider-Man lie discarded in a nearby bin.
Prior to the auction, Christie's said the artwork offered "an image of hope" and represented
a "personal tribute to those who continue to turn the tide of the pandemic".
________________________________________________________________________

TRANSCRIPT

Newsreader: Excitement today as a painting raises £14.4 million for the United
Kingdom’s National Health Service charities. The painting, by anonymous artist Banksy,
appeared in Southampton General Hospital in May 2020 not long after the outbreak of
the pandemic.
Newsreader: The artist left a note which read "Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this
brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only in black and white."
Newsreader: The artwork, which measures 1 metre square, depicts a young boy playing
with a superhero doll dressed in a nurse’s uniform with a red cross on the front (the only
colour in the picture) and wearing a face mask.
Newsreader: Beside him in a basket are the now forgotten superheroes, Batman and
Spiderman. Entitled, "Gamechanger", the painting pays tribute to the invaluable role of
healthcare workers, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis.
Newsreader: CEO of the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Paula
Head said, "Our hospital family has been directly impacted with the tragic loss of much
loved and respected members of staff and friends." She went on to describe the gift of the
painting as "a huge honour." In total, the buyer of the painting paid £16.6 million.
Newsreader: Price estimates before the sale were between £2.5 and £3.5 million. The
company which auctioned the painting called it "an image of hope" and described it as a
"personal tribute to those who continue to turn the tide of the pandemic."
Newsreader: After the sale, a reproduction of the painting will remain on the wall of the
hospital for staff and visitors alike to enjoy.