A painting that Banksy bought from a New York charity shop and reworked is now selling in an online auction to raise funds for Housing Works - a charity for those affected by HIV/AIDS.
 In typically controversial fashion, Banksy added a Nazi officer to the piece |
Bidding for the piece has already reached $310,200, with even stronger results expected as the auction draws to its close tonight (October 31). Banksy has been causing waves in New York during a month-long residency, including offering $30,000 artworks for $60.
Bids for the present work started at $74,000 and some predict that it could reach as much as $1m. Entitled The Banality of the Banality of Evil, the piece is a classic landscape of a lake and snow-topped mountain, to which Banksy has added a Nazi figure sitting on a bench.
The original landscape was bought from the Housing Works shop in New York's Gramercy Park by an unidentified customer two months ago for $50, and was returned by a woman on the morning of October 29. The store was then contacted by one of Banksy's team, who confirmed that it is genuine.
Banksy's residency in New York, entitled Better Out Than In, ends today. You can see all the works created during the month here.
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