班克西致敬醫護工作者畫作刷新個人拍賣紀錄

英國知名塗鴉藝術家班克西的新作《局勢改變者》日前在倫敦拍出了1675萬英鎊的高價，創下班克西畫作拍賣紀錄。這幅簡單真摯的黑白畫作是疫情初期班克西捐給南安普頓大學醫院的，表達了對醫護人員的感謝。

A painting by the artist Banksy honoring UK healthcare workers has set a new record for the artist, selling for £16.75 million at Christie's in London.

藝術家班克西致敬英國醫護工作者的一幅畫刷新了他的作品拍賣紀錄，在倫敦佳士得拍賣行拍出了1675萬英鎊（約合人民幣1.5億元）的高價。

"Game Changer," which the enigmatic street artist donated to the University Hospital Southampton (UHS) in May of 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic, depicts a young child playing with a toy Red Cross nurse wearing a cape and face mask. In a nearby basket, figurines of Batman and Spiderman lay forgotten.

去年5月第一波疫情來襲時，這位神祕的街頭藝術家將這幅名爲“局勢改變者”的畫作捐給了南安普頓大學醫院。在這幅畫中，一個小孩正在玩一個肩披斗篷、面戴口罩的紅十字會護士玩偶，蝙蝠俠和蜘蛛俠玩偶被遺忘在他身旁的筐裏。

The work sold for over four times its high estimate of £3.5 million and nearly doubled Banksy's previous record, the 2009 oil-on-canvas "Devolved Parliament" of British politicians as chimpanzees in the House of Commons, which sold for £9.9 million at Sotheby's in 2019.

班克西在2009年創作的油畫《權力下放的議會》將英國政客描繪成了下議院裏的大猩猩，2019年在蘇富比拍出了創紀錄的990萬英鎊高價。此次，這幅畫作的成交價是此前估價（350萬英鎊）的四倍，幾乎是2019年拍賣畫作成交價的兩倍。

The proceeds from the hammer price will be donated to University Hospital Southampton as well as health organizations and charities across the country, according to the auction house.

佳士得稱，拍賣所得將被捐給南安普頓大學醫院以及英國各地的衛生組織和慈善機構。

Until now, "Game Changer" had only been seen on display at the hospital (a reproduction will now replace it). When Banksy donated the work, he included a note that read: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only black and white."

迄今爲止，《局勢改變者》只在南安普頓大學醫院展示過（之後將用複製品替換原作）。班克西捐出這幅作品時，他還附了一張字條：“謝謝你們所做的一切。希望這幅畫能讓這裏亮堂一些，儘管它只是黑白畫作。”

At the time, UHS chief executive Paula Head called it "an inspirational backdrop to pause and reflect in these uNPRecedented times," in a tweet.

當時，南安普頓大學醫院執行總監寶拉·黑得在推特上發文稱，這幅畫是“在這一史無前例的時刻啓發人們停下來反思的背景”。

Christie's has described the work as capturing "the simple, universal values that have come to the fore during the pandemic - family, home and time spent with loved ones." The painting is a heartfelt moment for an artist who often plays up his sardonic appeal. In 2018, Banksy made headlines when his iconic work, "Girl With Balloon," self-destructed just after selling for $1.4 million at Sotheby's (the spray-paint-on-canvas composition, which had been half-shredded in its frame, was then renamed "Love is in the Bin").

佳士得描述道，這幅畫作捕捉到了“在疫情時期凸顯的簡單的普世價值觀——家人、家以及和所愛之人共度時光”。對於這位喜歡借作品來諷刺的藝術家而言，這幅畫是一個真情流露的瞬間。2018年，班克西因爲他的標誌性作品《女孩與氣球》在蘇富比被拍出140萬美元（約合人民幣913萬元）的高價後瞬間自毀而登上媒體頭條。在畫框裏的碎紙機將這幅噴繪畫作的一半切碎後，該作品被重新命名爲“愛在垃圾桶”。

"Game Changer" was not Banksy's only pandemic work. Three months after the donation, Banksy left stenciled rats with face masks around the London Underground -- which were promptly removed for violating Transport for London's "strict anti-graffiti policy." Then, in December, he left a mural of a woman violently sneezing on the side of a home in Totterdown. Though Banksy has yet to reveal his identity, many of his early works in and around Bristol, including the playful work "Aachoo!!," have led to speculation that he is from the area.

《局勢改變者》並不是班克西在疫情期間的唯一作品。捐出這幅畫作三個月後，班克西在倫敦地鐵附近用模板印製了幾隻戴口罩的老鼠。但是這些畫因爲違反倫敦交通“嚴格的反塗鴉政策”而被迅速清除。去年12月，班克西又在托特當區一座房屋的側面留下了一幅女人猛打噴嚏的壁畫。儘管班克西一直未透露自己的身份，但是他的許多早期作品都在布裏斯托爾市內及周圍，包括那幅調皮的作品《Aachoo!!》，讓人猜測班克西來自這一地區。