A spray-painted picture of a rat has sold for £22,000 at a Nantwich auction – because it was done by Banksy!
A Cheshire art lover showed perseverance does pay after he persuaded street artist Banksy to give him a piece of his work.
The man, who asked not to be named, owned the spray-painted image of a rat in dark glasses for more than five years.
Now he has cashed in and it sold for a staggering £22,000 at fine art auctioneers Peter Wilson, on Market Street.
Graffiti artist Banksy finally agreed to hand over the picture in 2009 after a lengthy exchange of witty emails lasting almost two years.
The Cheshire man had sent four blank bookplates to Banksy’s studio, which were returned many months later with the signed image of the rat wearing dark glasses in the shape of stars – one of Banksy’s readily identifiable motifs – spread across them.
They were sold with a letter of authentication from the artist.
The bookplates were bought by a South of England gallery who paid four times the estimated price.
In one email to Banksy, the Cheshire man wrote: “I feel I am probably wasting my time, my wife is convinced I am, and so are my children, but I will not give in to their defeatism…Will you, the Rat Honourable Banksy do me the honour of a couple or even one, signature for my poor children’s books.”
Banksy wrote back eventually: “Thanks for remaining moderately patient the whole time despite getting no response, only now I’ve forgotten why you wrote in the first place…”
And in a later email: “On the understanding you’re not going to use it against me or instantly sell them … I’ll write all over them. If this will make you happy, I’m more than willing to oblige.”
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