Blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus has sold an original artwork by world-famous artist Banksy at auction for £4.3million.
Hoppus acquired ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’, the British artist's subversive take on recently-deceased Scottish painter Jack Vettriano's unfathomably popular work The Singing Butler, in 2011.
In addition to donating a portion of the proceeds to the LA Fire Foundation and two medical charities - Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for their Child Life Program, and Cedars Sinai Haematology Oncology Research - Blink-182's vocalist/bassist has said that he wants to use money from the March 4 sale of the painting at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction to purchase work from young, up-and-coming artists.
The piece, sold to a private collector, had been projected to sell for three to five million pounds. Sotheby's said the painting is "a quintessential Banksy challenge to power, taste, and authority."
"We loved this painting the moment we saw it,' said Hoppus. "Unmistakably Banksy, but different."
"Coming back to punk rock," Hoppus stated before the auction, "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.
"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."
Hoppus will publish his autobiography Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir via Dey Street Books next month.
The publisher's synopsis for the book, set for release on April 8, states: “This is a story of what happens when an angst-ridden kid who grew up in the desert experiences his parents' bitter divorce, moves around the country, switches identities from dork to goth to skate punk, and eventually meets his best friend who just so happens to be his musical soulmate.
“Bassist, songwriter, and vocalist for renowned pop-punk trailblazers blink-182, Mark Hoppus, tells his story in Fahrenheit-182. A memoir that paints a vivid picture of what it was like to grow up in the 1980s as a latchkey kid hooked on punk rock, skateboards, and MTV; Mark Hoppus shares how he came of age and forms one of the biggest bands of his generation.
“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.”
Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir is available to pre-order now.
