Game Changer emerged at Southampton Hospital in May last year as a thank you to staff during the first wave of the Covid pandemic. The anonymous graffiti artist has now auctioned the original canvas with a reproduction of the work remaining in the hospital. Katharine Arnold, co-head, post-war and contemporary art, Europe, at the auction house, said: 'Banksy is an extraordinary artist who is a constant barometer of nationwide sentiment. When first unveiled at Southampton Hospital, the picture was accompanied by a note which read: 'Thanks for all you're doing. The third-highest price ever paid for a work by Banksy was £7.6million for the artist's playful take on a famous Impressionist painting.

Source: Daily Mail March 23, 2021 17:01 UTC