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Banksy's Largest Work, a Painted Volvo Truck, Could Sell for $2M at Auction

About a decade ago, Banksy was still an obscure English artist. He was just beginning to create street art wherever he saw fit: on streets, walls, and bridges, in cities across the world. But except for those familiar with his career, few know that his biggest work in terms of size is not on some wall, but on a full-sized Volvo FL6 truck.
Volvo FL6 truck by Banksy 4 photos
Photo: Bonhams
Volvo truck by BanksyVolvo truck by BanksyVolvo truck by Banksy
The 17-ton Volvo, aptly called Turbo Zone Truck - Laugh Now But One Day We'll Be in Charge was designed in 2000 and is Basky's largest painting, covering a total surface of 80 square meters. It was commissioned by a circus touring company that specializes in pyrotechnics.

It took the artist about two weeks to cover the Volvo in graffiti, which then took to the road across Europe and even all the way to South America.

And now its for sale at the hands of Bonhams.

The auction house considers the truck "a fascinating record of how the artist's calls for anarchy and social change were already central to his work" even before he became famous.

"The composition bears all the hallmarks of this peerless agent provocateur," said in a statement Ralph Taylor of Bonhams.

"Bonhams is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue offering the best of his work at auction as we have done consistently for well over a decade."

The images displayed on the truck show a man with a hammer swinging for metal cogs, monkeys and red stars in the background, and a group of soldiers running away from a cannon.

The truck will be on sale on September 14 at the Goodwood Revival sale, complete with an authentification certificate issued by Banksy's studio, Pest Control.

The auction house hopes to fetch up to £1.5 million for the work, or around $2 million. No mention was made as to whether the truck per se is still in working order.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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