Banksy Painting Proceeds to Benefit Major Medical Center in Bethlehem
“Mediterranean Sea View 2017” sold for $2.9 million on July 28th with all proceeds going to a Bethlehem hospital.
By: Grace Friar/ Arab America Contributing Writer
On July 28, 2020, a trio of paintings, known as a triptych, by the artist Banksy sold for £2.2 million ($2.9 million) with all proceeds going to benefit a Bethlehem hospital.
The trio of paintings entitled “Mediterranean Sea View 2017” has been displayed at Bethlehem’s Walled Off Hotel, which Banksy helped to set up in 2017, but were put up for auction at Sotheby’s Rembrandt to Richter evening sale in London that also featured works by Rembrandt, Picasso, and Bridget Riley. That night they were only expected to bring in £1.2 million, but after a battle between two anonymous bidders, they were sold for £2.2 million. According to the auction house, this is the second-highest price ever paid for Banksy’s artwork, the first being “Devolved Parliament” for £9.9 million.
“Devolved Parliament” sold for £9.9 million.The proceeds from the auctioned “Mediterranean Sea View 2017” are being donated to Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation. The center is a non-profit, non-governmental, NGO that is the leading provider for medical, surgical, and rehabilitation services in Palestine. Proceeds will be used by the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation to build a new acute stroke unit and buy new children’s rehabilitation equipment. The rehabilitation center offers audiology, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, orthotics and prosthetics, and more. Their community resources include community daycare centers, a mental health department, socio-economic empowerment program, and more. The BASR statement on “Who We Serve” reads, “At BASR we seek to serve all the Palestinian people regardless of religion, gender, disability and social background. We believe that part of BASR’s mission is to work to bring the whole community together.”
The paintings are three reworked, traditionally framed, romantic-era style landscapes depicting seascapes, and the artist added discarded lifejackets and buoys along the shoreline. These pieces reference Europe’s ongoing refugee crisis where hundreds of thousands of people undergo perilous journeys across the Mediterranean and Aegean seas in search of a better life.
“Mediterranean Sea View 2017”
“Mediterranean Sea View 2017” is shown with discarded lifejackets and buoys to illustrate the trials of refugees in search of a better life.In 2016, before Banksy created this trio of paintings, nearly 5.2 million people made the perilous journey from countries like Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan to escape war and persecution. In 2018 alone, 2,275 people perished in the Mediterranean – an average of 6 people per day. These people were also kept on boats at sea for several days until they were medically cleared to disembark. Many European states have faced turmoil as they try to follow international law for these asylum seekers as well as maintain the stability of their own states, often leaving refugees in displacement camps.
In 2020 alone, 26,800 people have arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean with 19% of those being children. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers have decreased by almost a quarter, but arrivals in Italy have risen due to fighting in Libya. The pandemic has also worsened conditions for arrivals as they are in overcrowded and underfunded camps which makes proper treatment and physical distancing nearly impossible.
Banksy has remained a strong voice throughout Europe’s decade long refugee crisis as his works continue to reflect the trials of those refugees.
Open for only 36 days, Banksy’s “Dismaland” was a temporary art exhibit set in the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England. Designed as a play on Disneyland, the theme park features artistic themes of apocalypse, anti-consumerism, and pointed social critiques on celebrity culture, immigration, and law enforcement.
Boat of Refugees
This work depicting a boat of refugees, plus one floating in the water, is a comment on Europe’s refugee crisis.One of his most stunning pieces is entitled “Son of a Migrant from Syria.” The piece depicts Steve Jobs, the son of a Syrian migrant who traveled to America after World War II, with a black bag over his shoulder and an original Apple computer in the other hand. The piece of work can be found on a wall in the Calais refugee camp called “the Jungle.” In a rare statement accompanying the work, Banksy said: “We’re often led to believe migration is a drain on the country’s resources, but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. Apple is the world’s most profitable company, it pays over $7bn (£4.6bn) a year in taxes – and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs.”
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