Street Art Invasion: Upcoming Auction To Sell Urban Masterpieces

The auction will include Banksy’s famous “Rats” works, as well as the mosaics of renowned artist Invader, in its roster of coveted street art pieces. 

On July 11, 2024, Julien’s Auctions will include some of today’s most subversive and revolutionary works from the radical art movement in their Street Art Invasion auction. In its roster are pieces from the movement’s biggest names, including Banksy, Invader, and Shepard Fairey.

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Banksy’s Rats

A highlight of the auction is a collection of Banksy’s famous Rats. The elusive British street artist has gained international fame, creating works with powerful messages about contemporary issues in today’s society. His aerosol-painted rodents are some of his most common symbols, representing the disruptive “underdogs” of cities. Julien’s Auctions’ official press release adds that they serve as “satiric symbols of the potential uprising of the masses against capitalistic society.”

The Banksy pieces in Street Art Invasion include “Placard Rat, which may sell for $40,000 to $50,000. The black aerosol stencil piece came into being circa 2004 on a newsagents board on Grays Inn Road, London. It invited members of the public to write their own messages on the rodent’s blank placard. 

Then there’s “Gangsta Rat” (with an estimated price of $30,000 to $50,000) a black aerosol stencil of a rat with a boombox on the side of a British street bollard from around 2009. The third piece is “Umbrella Rat,” which could sell for $30,000 to $50,000. The black aerosol stencil depicting a white-collared rat wearing a bowler hat and tie, and parachuting with an umbrella. It was originally on a heavy steel door below an S-Bahn railway arch in the Mitte borough of Berlin, Germany, circa 2004. 

Invader Original Mosaics

Original mosaic artworks from French street artist, Invader, will also be part of the auction. Namely the popular “Invasions” pieces found across cities around the world. These mosaics depict pixelated characters and iconography from video games like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Super Mario Bros.

"HK_91"
“HK_91”

Pieces in the auction include “HK_91,” which could sell for $10,000 to $20,000. Invader originally affixed the pixel “money bag” mosaic to the side of a building on Wyndham Street in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong in 2015. 

There’s also “PA_041,” which may fetch $6,000 to $8,000. It’s a very rare example of the artist’s early work from circa 1998, originally on the side of a railway overpass on Boulevard Macdonald in Paris, France. The other piece is “Mia-72,” with an estimated price of $4,000 to $6,000. Invader first executed it 2012 on the side of a parking garage in Miami, Florida.

More Street Art

Street Art Invasion will also feature the works of other great artists like DJ, skateboarder, and activist Shepard Fairey. Many know him as the artist behind the recognizable Barack Obama “Hope” poster and Obey clothing company. His work “Hand of Doom – Sound of Music” will go under the hammer and is expected to fetch $3,000 to $5,000. He painted the piece on a discarded record album sleeve for the original soundtrack of The Sound of Music.

“Hand of Doom - Sound of Music"
“Hand of Doom – Sound of Music” by Shepard Fairey

“Elevated” by popular street artist Dcypher will also be up for sale with an estimated price of $2,000 to $4,000. He painted live during the 2013 “Style Wars” event at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“Julien’s has put together an unrivaled collection of the most fearless and stirring underground works of rebellion from the streets’ most legendary guerrilla art warriors,” shared David Goodman, CEO of Julien’s Auctions, in a press statement. “From Banksy’s signature Rats to Invader’s beloved Aliens to Shepard Fairey’s Hand of Doom, their defining works represent the street art movement’s most powerful and provocative statements of all time.”

Photos courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.

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