The artist Banksy broke his own price record at auction yesterday, when he sold his unique take on Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa .

The artist underlined his credentials as a heavyweight in the art world when the painting sold for £57,600 to a British-based private collector at Sotheby’s Olympia contemporary art sale .

The price for the work outstripped the pre-sale estimate of £15,000 to £20,000. Such demand led to Banksy more than doubling his previous highest price for a piece, £21,000, which was set at another Sotheby’s Olympia auction last June.

In his version of the Mona Lisa, Banksy used his familiar stencil technique to depict the subject with spray paint dripping from her eyes.

Also at the auction, a set of six prints of Kate Moss, portrayed in the style of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe series, fetched about £50,000.

Posted: 10|20|06 at 7:07 am. Filed under: UK News.