Banksy's 'Game Changer' sells for record £16.7m at auction raising funds for UK's NHS

The painting depicts a young boy playing with a superhero nurse doll

Banksy’s ‘Game Changer’ first appeared at Southampton General Hospital, southern England, during the first wave of the global health crisis last May. AFP

A painting by UK street artist Banksy depicting a young boy playing with a superhero nurse doll sold for a record £16.7 million ($23m) at auction on Tuesday, with the proceeds going to National Health Service charities.

Game Changer, which was unveiled last May at University Hospital Southampton, pays tribute to frontline health workers in their fight against Covid-19.

“Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens up the place a bit, even if it’s only in black and white,” Banksy wrote in a note left with the painting when it first appeared.

The monochrome artwork shows a young boy lifting a nurse, her arm stretched and wearing a cape, while the superheroes Batman and Spider-Man lie in a bin nearby.

The painting had carried an estimate of £2.5-3.5m and auction house Christie’s said proceeds would “support the wellbeing of University Hospital Southampton staff and patients”.

Banksy’s collection of works - in pictures

People take pictures of a new Banksy artwork in Islington, London, in March 2024. Getty Images

A work by Banksy is removed in Peckham, south-east London, in December 2023. Getty Images

Graffiti created by British artist Banksy under a protective screen on the damaged wall of a residential building in Irpin, Ukraine in April 2023. Getty Images

An artwork painted on the side of a property in Herne Bay, Kent in March 2023. PA

The artwork by street artist Banksy, titled 'Valentine's Day Mascara' on the side of a building in Margate, Kent in February 2023. PA

A Reveller walks by a graffiti attributed to Banksy as he arrives at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival in June 2022. Reuters

A Banksy artwork in Nottingham in October 2020. Reuters

Show me the Monet by Banksy at Sotheby's Galleries in London in October 2020. AFP

Banksy's Sunflowers From Petrol Station, inspired by Vincent van Gogh. PA

Banksy captioned the photo of this work Game Changer. Photo: Instagram

A customised stab-proof vest by street artist Banksy at the Design Museum in London. EPA

A Banksy stencil posted on Instagram in June 2020, with a caption asking 'What should we do with the empty plinth in the middle of Bristol?' Photo: Instagram

A Banksy piece inspired by the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. Photo: Instagram

Girl with a Pierced Eardrum, in Bristol. Getty

Banksy released a new piece in his bathroom as he worked from home during the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Photo: Instagram

A Valentine's Day piece by Banksy appeared in Bristol in February 2020. Reuters

A Christmas mural by Banksy in Birmingham, December 2019. The piece made a statement about homelessness. Reuters

Banksy's pop-up shop called Gross Domestic Product in Croydon, London in 2019. AFP

A view of Banksy's migrant child mural, half-submerged in high water in Venice, November 2019. EPA

Devolved Parliament at Sotheby's auction house in London, featuring chimpanzees as MPs in the House of Commons. EPA

A Banksy artwork in Marble Arch, London, at the site of an Extinction Rebellion protest camp. EPA

Love is in the Bin at the Frieder Burda Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany. EPA

There is Always Hope. EPA

Season's Greetings (2018) was painted on a garage in Port Talbot, Wales. Getty

Part of the unauthorised exhibition entitled Banksy, Genius or Vandal? in Madrid, December 2018. EPA

A piece by Banksy, acquired by actor Robin Williams, was among auction items on display in Los Angeles, September 2018. EPA

A Brexit-inspired mural by Banksy in Dover, south-east England. EPA

A veiled woman in mourning beside the Bataclan concert venue in Paris where 90 people where killed by terrorists in November 2015. EPA

An artwork attributed to Banksy showing Napoleon's horse rearing, in Paris, June 2018. EPA

A mural depicting a rat on a popped champagne cork, in Paris, June 2018. EPA

A rat in the inner portion of a clock in New York City, March 2018. EPA

A Banksy mural highlights the imprisonment of Turkish artist and journalist Zehra Dogan, on the Bowery, New York City in February 2019. EPA

A Banksy painting appeared on the first day of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. EPA

Flying Copper on display in Berlin. EPA

The Bridge Farm Primary School where a new mural appeared during half term in Withchurch, England. The mural was a thanks to the school for naming a school wing after Banksy. EPA

The Son of a Migrant from Syria depicting Apple's Steve Jobs in the refugee camp called The Jungle in Calais, France. EPA

Dismaland, a temporary exhibition that opened at a derelict seafront lido in Weston-Super-Mare, England in 2015. Getty

Bomb Hugger after it was defaced in Hamburg, February 2015. EPA

Banksy appeared to comment on methods used by Britain's intelligence services with this piece in Cheltenham. EPA

The Twin Towers in Tribeca appeared in New York in 2013. EPA

A mural by Banksy in Queens, New York. EPA

Three years after Hurricane Katrina wrought havoc in the Gulf of Mexico, Banksy created some commemorative pieces in New Orleans, Louisiana. EPA

Another mural by Banksy in New Orleans. EPA

A Banksy in London, May 2008. EPA

A piece to mark Queen Elizabeth II's golden jubilee appeared on Clink Street, near London Bridge, in May 2002. EPA

Christie’s said the painting was a departure from Banksy’s usual irreverent style and instead “a personal tribute to those who continue to turn the tide of the pandemic”.

“As an artwork, however, it will remain forever a symbol of its time: a reminder of the world’s real game changers, and of the vital work they perform,” the international art seller said.

Speaking before it was sold, Katharine Arnold of Christie's described Game Changer as "a universal tribute to all those fighting worldwide on the front line of this crisis".

“At a time when we can dare to hope once more and look at life beyond the pandemic, it is important to reflect on the many symbols of strength and hope we have seen internationally since the beginning of 2020,” she said.

The auction – streamed live by Christie’s – took place as the UK on Tuesday marked a year since Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the country into its first lockdown.

A minute's silence was held to remember the more than 126,000 people who have lost their lives since then because of the coronavirus.