Blink-182 star to auction rare Banksy worth millions

Blink-182 star Mark Hoppus is set to auction a rare Banksy painting that is estimated to be worth up to £5m.

The 52-year-old musician, singer and bassist in the punk-rock trio acquired the work with his wife Skye Everly in 2011.

Crude Oil (Vettriano) was first exhibited by Banksy in 2005 and is the anonymous artist's reimagining of Jack Vettriano's career-defining The Singing Butler from 1992, which itself was auctioned by Sotheby's for £744,800 in 2004.

Now, the hand-painted Banksy will be auctioned by Sotheby's in London, with some of the proceeds to be donated to causes including the California Fire Foundation, which helps people impacted by the LA wildfires, a children's hospital, and a cancer research centre.

"We loved this painting since the moment we saw it," Hoppus said. "It's borne witness to our family over these past dozen years. It hung over the table in London where we ate breakfast and our son did his homework. It hung in our living room in Los Angeles...

"This painting has meant so much to us and been such an amazing part of our lives, and now I'm excited for it to be out there in the world, seen by as many as possible."

The Blink-182 star said he would also use the proceeds to buy works by up-and-coming artists.

The singer added: "Coming back to punk rock, 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."

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Hoppus revealed he had been diagnosed with stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in June 2021, but after chemotherapy he announced he was free from cancer just a few months later.

He rose to fame after forming Blink-182 alongside guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge and drummer Travis Barker in 1992, and the trio went on to define the pop-punk genre with hits such as The Rock Show, All The Small Things, What's My Age Again?, and I Miss You.

DeLonge left the group at the beginning of 2015, but returned in 2022 following his bandmate's diagnosis.

Hoppus's memoir, Fahrenheit-182, is due to be released in April.

Crude Oil (Vettriano) will be on display at Sotheby's in New York this week before being brought to the UK for a preview exhibition starting on 26 February. It will then headline Sotheby's Modern And Contemporary Evening Auction in London on 4 March.

"Street art and punk rock share the same vocabulary - they speak to the outsider, the rebel and the overlooked," said Oliver Barker, Sotheby's Europe chairman.

"Both movements were born from the margins. They challenge authority and re-write the rules, a fundamental trait shared by Mark and Banksy."

Last year, Banksy made headlines by painting a series of animal works across London, one a day for nine days, including a rhino which appeared to be mounting a parked car, and a gorilla lifting a shutter at London Zoo.

In February, London Museum announced it had acquired one of the works - piranhas painted on a police sentry box, resembling a fish tank.

(c) Sky News 2025: Blink-182 star to auction rare Banksy worth millions