Banksy’s ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’ painting – which was once owned by Blink 182‘s Mark Hoppus – has sold for £4.3million at auction.
Hoppus acquired the rare and entirely hand-painted piece by the British artist and activist back in 2011.“This painting has meant so much to us and been such an amazing part of our lives, and now I’m excited for it to be out there in the world, seen by as many as possible. Go get ‘em. Godspeed,” the musician shared in a statement.
Banksy’s painting depicts the late Scottish painter Jack Vettriano’s most famous work, The Singing Butler. The artwork features a couple dancing on a storm-swept beach accompanied by their butler and maid, but, in true Banksy form, two figures in yellow hazmat suits are seen in the background disposing of an oil drum.
When praising Bansky’s work in general, Hoppus said: “I love Banksy’s art. The subversion, the humour, the intelligence, the fuck you.”
According to BBC, ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’ was sold to a private collector at Sotheby’s in London on Tuesday evening (March 4). The piece was projected to have a price tag of £3-5million.
Hoppus had shared that he and his wife Skye plan to use part of the proceeds raised from the sale of the painting to expand their art collection, specifically focusing on works by the younger generation of artists.
“Coming back to punk rock, one aspect of the community I always hold dear is, if you get lucky enough to gain success, you bring your friends with you. Larger bands bring smaller bands on tour. We support one another from within,” he said.
He continued: “I want to take some of the money from the sale of this painting and use it to buy works from younger, upcoming artists. We were lucky enough to find ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’ in our lives, and it’ll help us support more art and artists. I want to be a fucking Medici.”
Additionally, a portion of the funds will benefit two charities dear to Hoppus and his family’s hearts: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and their Child Life Program, and Cedars Sinai Haematology Oncology Research.
In light of the recent devastation in their home city of LA, they will also use some of the proceeds to continue their donations to the California Fire Foundation.
In other news, Hoppus is due to release his new memoir Fahrenheit 182 on April 8. An official blurb reads: “Threaded through with the very human story of a constant battle with anxiety and Mark’s public battle and triumph over cancer, Fahrenheit-182 is a delight for fans and also a funny, smart, and relatable memoir for anyone who has wanted to quit but kept going.”
Last September, Blink-182 released ‘One More Time… Part-2’ – an expanded version of their 2023 album containing eight brand-new tracks.
In other news, the pop-punk trio recently reunited with former member Matt Skiba as part of a special charity show for those affected by the LA wildfires.
Blink-182 currently have just two other live gigs scheduled for 2025 – a headline slot at Shaky knees festival in September and another headline slot at When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas on October 18. Back in January, however, Tom DeLonge teased some potential “spring break shows” for this year.