Banksy’s Anti-War Artwork Raises Money For Kyiv Children’s Hospital
Photo 170344542 © Mihail Ivanov | Dreamstime.com
Acknowledging the value of a Banksy, a donor who has requested to be anonymous gave up a print by the street artist to benefit children and families in Ukraine grappling with the conflict with Russia.
The ever-relevant CND Soldiers print (2005), placed on silent auction via London-based platform MyArtBroker.com, amassed £81,000 (US$106,500)—far exceeding the starting bid of £20,000 as a “flurry of bids” poured in, the site details.
Its anonymous buyer is donating the entire sum to the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital. Although the facility usually attends to young patients with critical health conditions, it has begun caring for anyone wounded as a result of the Russian attack.
Banksy created the art in the form of a placard back in 2003 and displayed it outside the Houses of Parliament in response to the UK’s involvement in the Iraq war.
Today, the image of two soldiers painting the peace sign, the symbol of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, on a wall is more resonant than ever.
For this sale, the auctioneer has refused commissions, so the whole six-figure amount will go into helping Ukrainians in need.
“Such extraordinary generosity from our seller could not have been better reciprocated by the winning bidder, whose donation of £81,000 will make an enormous difference to the lives of staff, children, and their families in the weeks ahead,” concludes the platform’s managing director Charlotte Stewart.
Banksy’s CND Soldiers raises £81,000
— MyArtBroker (@myartbroker) March 28, 2022
Thank you to everyone who bid in our silent auction of Banksy’s CND Soldiers. We are thrilled to announce that we raised £81,000/ $106,505 for Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv.#ABanksy4Ukraine pic.twitter.com/KLxWDicFHW
