Partial proceeds donated

Automatically saved design

Mark Hoppus, singer and songwriter of the pop-punk band blink-182, with the painting "Crude Oil", which has now changed hands.

(Bild: Max Montgomery)

An oil painting by legendary street artist Banksy from the collection of the co-founder of punk band Blink-182, Mark Hoppus, has been auctioned off at Sotheby's in London for almost 4.3 million pounds (around 5.19 million euros).

The musician bought the painting together with his wife in 2011. "We loved this painting at first sight. Undeniably a Banksy, but different," the auction house quoted Hoppus as saying. According to Hoppus, the painting was an "extraordinary part" of family life for years.

The work "Crude Oil (Vettriano)", also known as "Toxic Beach", is a reinterpretation of the painting "Singing Butler" by Scotsman Jack Vettriano.

Vettriano's original from 1992 shows a couple dancing on the beach while a butler and a housemaid hold umbrellas. His "Singing Butler" became the best-selling print in the UK, which brought him commercial success but also criticism within the art scene.

Dancing near toxic waste
In Banksy's version, instead of the maid, two men in protective suits can be seen tampering with a barrel of toxic waste.

According to Sotheby's, Hoppus will donate part of the auction proceeds to two charities in the Californian metropolis and to the California Fire Foundation following the devastating fires around Los Angeles.