Rare Banksy prints sold for $138k in Auckland auction

Golf Sale (2003) by British artist Banksy screenprint. Photo / Supplied

Nearly 150 art lovers gathered at the International Art Centre in Parnell saw three limited edition Banksy prints sell for a total of $138,000.

The prints were a part of a collection bought by an anonymous Kiwi collector in 2005 for around 60 pounds ($115). It was the first time a collection of Banksy's works had been auctioned in New Zealand, according to Stuff.

The three Banksy prints sold were Soup Can, Weston Super Mare, and Golf Sale. Soup Can managed to sell for $52,000, while Weston Super Mare was sold for $41,000 and Golf Sale went for $45,000.

Originally inspired by a renowned photograph of a protester standing in front of Chinese military tanks in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Golf Sale is one of the first of Banksy's works to be publicly released. The print was made as a comment on consumer culture.

Weston Super Mare (2003) by British artist Banksy screenprint. Photo / Supplied

Two of the works went to New Zealand buyers and Soup Can sold to a phone bidder hailing from the UK.

Unlike the controversial Sotheby's 2018 sale of Banksy's Girl with Balloon, the Auckland auction went on without any trouble.

Golf Sale (2003) by British artist Banksy screenprint. Photo / Supplied.

International Art Centre's director Richard Thomson said it wasn't common for New Zealanders to acquire works from Banksy, arguably the "most sought-after street artist in the world".

According to Thomson, "there may only have been one Banksy work ever offered for sale in New Zealand".

The auction also offered various pieces such as Len Castle ceramics from the Ron Sang Collection and a collection of Toss Woollaston works, including a never-before seen oil painting of Bayley's Hill.