Painting for Saints or Game Changer is a 2020 painting by Banksy, who donated it to the Southampton General Hospital in Southern England, United Kingdom. The artwork depicts a child playing with a toy nurse, having selected the toy over superheroes Batman and Spider-Man, and was unveiled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The painting is largely monochrome apart from a red cross on the nurse's uniform. It was delivered to the hospital together with a note: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white".[1] The hospital titled the artwork Painting for Saints, which references "The Saints", a nickname for Southampton F.C.[2] Banksy himself posted the image on his Instagram account with the caption "Game Changer".[3]
| Painting for Saints | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Banksy |
| Year | 2020 |
| Subject | NHS Workers |
| Owner | Southampton General Hospital |
| Preceded by | Valentine's Banksy |
| Followed by | If You Don't Mask, You Don't Get |
The artwork remained at the hospital until it was auctioned off to benefit charities affiliated with the National Health Service.[3] It was sold for £14.4m (£16.8m including buyer premium) on 23 March 2021, which at the time was a record for a work by Banksy.[4][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Gompertz, Will (6 May 2020). "New Banksy artwork appears at Southampton hospital". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ Kim, Allen (7 May 2020). "Banksy donates new artwork honoring health care workers to hospital". CNN. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ a b "A British nurse is the chosen superhero in new Banksy artwork". Reuters. 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Covid: Banksy painting raises £14.4m for NHS charities". BBC. 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Banksy painting raises $23 million for UK health charities". Associated Press. 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
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