Three Banksy originals rescued by collector to hit auction block

By Adam Dutton

An art dealer who has spent years 'rescuing' original Banksy's is set to sell three pieces by the world-famous street artist for over £1 million (nearly $1.5 million).

The trio of artworks - including two pieces which were saved from destruction - are being sold by Banksy collector John Brandler.

The 70-year-old started collecting works by the elusive artist back in 2003 - at a time you could reportedly pick up a Banksy for as little as £40.

Brandler, who owns the Brandler Galleries in Brentwood, Essex, now currently boasts 12 Banksy pieces worth an incredible £25 million.

He has now decided to part with three originals, which will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbys.

Among them is 'DJ on a Cloud' from 1999, a rare early piece which was saved from being thrown out when a shop in Bath was being cleared.

It is one of Banksy’s earliest known wall paintings and is expected to fetch between £350,000–£450,000 when it is sold on June 13.

Another called 'Two Rats with Saw' from 2003, which was also spared from the scrap heap before it was recovered and preserved, could fetch £145,000–£165,000.

Both pieces have since gone on to tour the world and will be offered for public sale for the first time in the "landmark" auction.

The third, named 'Family Target', is also from 2003 and shows a family in the crosshairs of a sniper's rifle. It is also set to fetch £350,000–£450,000.

Brandler said he was selling the three Banksy artworks now he is getting older, having reached the age of 70.

He said: "I’m selling them because I'm 70 and I can't keep collecting them. I’ve got ten or 12 important ones, of them these are three of them.

"I’m a one-man band too, I’m just a small gallery in Brentwood.

“These are three important pieces and they’ve all been displayed in top museums.

“Everybody wants a Banksy. Everyone wants a Picasso. But a major Picasso is £100 million. Banksy is a bargain comparatively. I can’t keep everything forever.

"I would personally like them to go to three individual owners, not just one, so they’re shared out.

"Not one museum in the UK has a Banksy, no pieces of his street art at least, so this is a good chance to own one.

“I found one in Torquay that had been boarded up for years and I bought one in Nottingham that was about to water blasted off the wall.

"I am very fortunate, my hobby is my business.

"I use a lot of the artwork to supply various charities. But it gets to the point where a collection can become a milestone."

Brandler said he got into Banksy in 2003 and has since amassed his incredible collection, which he loans out to galleries around the world.

He added: “I used to deal in good art, now I deal in street art. I like Banksy's humor, I only display things I like.

“You couldn’t pay me to hang up a Pollock. In my view, art is about what you like, not what you should have.

“I’ve got three walls on loan to Rome at the moment.

“Whether you like him or not, he is the Picasso of the 21st century. Everyone globally knows who he is. We’re talking about doing an exhibition in China, that’s how well-known he is.

"He has done for British art what the Beatles did for British music. Banksy is the yardstick for art in the 21st century.

“I think he is phenomenal.

"Banksy is great, his humour you can’t beat and his marketing you can’t beat. It’s witty and it’s fun.

“Banksy can walk into any bar, get a cab. He’s world famous but completely anonymous."

Brandler also famously owns Seasons Greetings, the only known Banksy artwork to have inspired a full-length play: Port Talbot Gotta Banksy.

He added, “Banksy is the only artist I know of whose single painting inspired a stage production.

“It shows the cultural weight his work carries - and these three pieces are no exception.

DJ on a Cloud was created during a two-week commission in the hallway of a shop on Walcot Street, Bath.

This now-iconic work was moments away from being discarded before it was salvaged from a door panel just before being dumped.

Family Target is a spray paint on canvas work said to depict Banksy’s "signature themes of family, violence and social critique."

Two Rats with Saw was left behind in an office when Banksy parted ways with his first business partner Jon Swinstead

All three pieces boast "exceptional exhibition history" having featured in major global exhibitions from Rome and Palermo to New York’s Bowery and Broadway between 2019 and 2023.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “These are more than artworks - they are survivors, cultural landmarks, and provocations all rolled into one.

"We’re proud to be offering them to a global audience.

"Banksy’s work continues to hold a mirror up to society in a way that’s both playful and powerful - and collectors have responded to that message in extraordinary ways.”

Banksy, born in 1974, is the anonymous British artist and political activist known for his stencil-based street art.

Often laced with satire and social commentary, his work has appeared on buildings, bridges and public spaces worldwide - sparking debate and reshaping the art world.

The works will be sold as part of Hansons 20th Century, Modern Art & Design Auction on June 13 with bidding available worldwide online and in person.