Irish artist Conor Harrington put his first piece up in a London auction and not only exceeded estimates but also outsold Banksy's work, which was also up for sale. Harrington's "Dance With the Devil" sold for approximately $118,810, while Bansky's "Rude Copper" sold for just over $49,000.
"Dance With the Devil" almost doubled pre-auction estimates, which placed the work's value at somewhere between $45,955 and $76,592. The piece uses a combination of oil and spray painting was created base off a photograph Harrington took. "Everything that is in that painting was in a photograph. I got those guys in, they're both actors, and I dressed them up in costimes and hired al the props that are in the background," he told the Independent.
The interest in Harrington's work isn't entirely a surprise given that celebrities, including Alicia Keys and Jared Leto, have purchased artwork directly from him. However, outselling a piece from Banksy, whose collection of prints just recently sold for $650,000, is another feat entirely.
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[via Independent]
