Banksy's UK Parliament painting sells for record price

A Banksy artwork depicting United Kingdom's MPs in the House of Commons as chimpanzees has been sold for close to £10 million (Rs 87.57 crore), in what organisers say is a record for the artist.

IMAGE: Banksy's Devolved Parliament is nearly four metres and is the largest known canvas by the artist. Photograph: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Sotheby's

The 2009 work entitled "Devolved Parliament" was sold following a 13-minute battle between 10 different bidders.

"Record price for a Banksy painting set at auction tonight. Shame I didn't still own it," the artist said on his Instagram account.

The auction house said: "Regardless of where you sit in the Brexit debate, there's no doubt that this work is more pertinent now than it has ever been."

IMAGE: Banksy created Devolved Parliament for the takeover of Bristol Museum in 2009. Photograph: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Sotheby's

Devolved Parliament is the artist's biggest known work on canvas.

It beat the previous auction record for a Banksy, thought to be the £1.4 million (Rs 12.27 crore) for Keep It Spotless, which sold at Sotheby's in New York in 2008.

IMAGE: "Devolved Parliament" was expected to fetch £1.5 million to £2 million in Thursday's sale. Photograph: Peter Summers/Getty Images

Alex Branczik, from Sotheby's, said Banksy "confronted the burning issues of the day".

The auction was held in the same auction room where Banksy stunned the art world a year ago by activating a shredder moments after his Girl With Balloon sold for a little over £1 million (Rs 8.75 crore).

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