Asian Auction House Phillips Will Accept Crypto at Auction for a Physical Piece of Banksy Art

The well-known Phillips Auction House has announced the company plans to accept cryptocurrency for the first time in a physical art auction set for June 7-8. Phillips will be auctioning a world-famous piece of artwork called the “Laugh Now Panel” created by the anonymous street artist Banksy.

‘Laugh Now’- Phillips to Accept Cryptocurrency at a Banksy Auction in June

Whether Banksy likes it or not, his artwork has been tied to blockchain technology and sold for crypto assets in recent times. Additionally, the infamous street artist’s work was even burned after it was transferred into a non-fungible token asset. The $NFT sold for more money in an auction than the physical piece itself. Phillips Auction House has decided to accept cryptocurrency for the first time during a Banksy auction on May 7-8.

Phillips’ entry into the crypto space is a bit behind, in comparison to world-renowned auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s. In fact, Sotheby’s announced last week it was auctioning a physical piece of artwork created by the notorious Banksy.

Sotheby’s detailed on Tuesday that it would leverage the exchange Coinbase in order to sell Banksy’s “Love is in the Air” image. The “Love is in the Air” print has an estimated worth of around $3-5 million. The Banksy possessed by Phillips is the street artist’s famous print called the “Laugh Now Panel.”

Banksy’s art “Laugh Now” contains a picture of a monkey in the artist’s signature monochrome stenciled style. The monkey is wearing a sandwich board around his neck and it says: “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge.”

According to Phillips, the “Laugh Now Panel” created by Banksy has an estimated worth of around $2.8 to $4.1 million. The art panel is also on tour right now in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, Taichung, and Hong Kong ahead of the June auction.

The First Major Auction House in Asia Accepting Bitcoin and Ether

“This marks the first time a major auction house in Asia will accept Bitcoin or Ether as a payment option for a physical work of art,” Phillips announcement says. Banksy has been a disruptor in the art world with his distinctive oeuvre characterized by dark humor, satire, and political commentary,” the company’s announcement stresses.

Phillips further says:

Many of Banksy’s iconic original murals were transformed into canvas and editioned prints by the artist, allowing for the dissemination of his mischievous and satirical messages to wider audiences. By offering participants this new payment option to acquire Laugh Now Panel A, Phillips connects Banksy’s bold creations with tech-savvy collectors eager to quickly adapt to new technological advances.

The Banksy auction follows Phillips getting into the non-fungible token art space when it sold Mad Dog Jones’ multi-generational $NFT, REPLICATOR for over $4 million. Like Sotheby’s, the Asian auction house Phillips will leverage Coinbase as well to conduct the crypto transaction settlement.

The auction of “Laugh Now” will be conducted in Hong Kong dollars and then the buyer will have the option to choose to pay via the crypto exchange’s payment service.