A signed screen print by elusive street artist Banksy is set to go under the hammer next month, with experts estimating the piece could be worth tens of thousands of pounds.
AGILE is a hand-finished, seven-colour screen print on cardboard which will go up for auction at McTear’s in Glasgow on December 14.
Auctioneers estimate it will fetch £40,000-£60,000.
In the summer, Banksy’s Cut And Run exhibition was staged in the city’s Gallery of Modern Art to great acclaim.
AGILE will be familiar to Banksy collectors after 50 limited edition prints of it were sold through the Legacy of War Foundation website in 2022 as part of a fundraising campaign to support those affected by the war in Ukraine.
AGILE was a specially produced gift to the current owner and has a personal dedication and a certificate of authenticity from Pest Control, Banksy’s verification platform.
Featuring a white mouse sliding down a freight box marked “fragile”, the letters F and R have been scratched out by its claws.
It is believed the distinctive scratch marks were made using a pizza cutter, with each print featuring a different scratch pattern.
The serial number on the freight box is a reference to the completion date of the artwork.
Magda Ketterer, McTear’s director, said: “This is an important and evocative work that showcases the artist’s unique style, with his trademark ‘rodent’ image at the heart of the piece.
“We rarely see Banksy works of this quality come to auction in Scotland, and it is wonderful that it will go under the hammer in Glasgow, a city that is close to the artist’s heart.
“The personal dedication and the fact that this piece was produced separately from the original edition of 50 lift this artwork to a different level.
“We anticipate significant interest from art enthusiasts across the UK and overseas, and we are looking forward to a lively sale in December.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here