With their shared rebellious spirit, Mark Hoppus, founding member of the American pop-punk band blink-182, found a perfect artistic counterpart in Banksy, whose raw, defiant style resonates deeply with the musician’s own ethos. Now, a cornerstone of Hoppus’s art collection, Banksy’s hand-painted Crude Oil (Vettriano), is poised to headline Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction on March 4 in London with a high estimate of £5 million.
The painting first appeared in the landmark 2005 exhibition “Crude Oils: A Gallery of Remixed Masterpieces, Vandalism and Vermin,” a provocative, unforgettable show in London where Banksy boldly reimagined iconic paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Warhol and Hopper, turning them into sharp critiques of contemporary life and society. In true punk spirit, Banksy’s “vandalism” of art history went beyond the canvas: he transformed the gallery itself into a chaotic spectacle, releasing 200 rats to scurry through the space, introducing shock, discomfort and disorder, and shattering the traditional serenity of an art exhibition. Among the show’s notorious works, Crude Oil (Vettriano) subverts Jack Vettriano’s 1992 painting The Singing Butler, which famously depicts a couple dancing on a windswept beach, serenaded by an attendant butler—an image so ingrained in British pop culture it has outsold prints of Monet and Van Gogh.
Vettriano, known for his romantic and stylish depictions of leisure and intimacy, sees his idyllic vision shattered under Banksy’s brush. In this version, a sinking oil liner and two men in hazmat suits pushing a barrel of toxic waste intrude upon the scene. Adding bitter irony, a well-dressed financier, seemingly fresh from Bond Street, holds an umbrella as though shielding the oblivious dancing couple from impending environmental and financial collapse.
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“The vandalized paintings reflect life as it is now. We don’t live in a world like Constable’s Haywain anymore. If you do, there is probably a travelers’ camp on the other side of the hill,” Banksy remarked at the time. “Graffiti writers and drunken teenagers do not do the real damage done to our environment, but by big business… exactly the people who put gold-framed pictures of landscapes on their walls and try to tell the rest of us how to behave.”
Acquired in 2011 by Hoppus and his wife, the painting has since been a fixture in the family’s home—first in London, then in Los Angeles. “It’s borne witness to our family over these past dozen years. It hung over the table in London, where we ate breakfast and our son did his homework,” Hoppus shared in a statement. “It hung in our living room in Los Angeles. It’s seen laughter and tears and parties and arguments. Our son has grown up in front of it. This painting has meant so much to us and has been an amazing part of our lives.”
The couple plans to use part of the proceeds of the sale of Crude Oil (Vettriano) to expand their art collection with work by younger artists. “Coming back to punk rock, one aspect of the community I always hold dear is that if you get lucky enough to gain success, you bring your friends. Larger bands bring smaller bands on tour. We support one another from within,” he said. “We were lucky enough to find Crude Oil (Vettriano) in our lives, and it’ll help us support more art and artists. I want to be a fucking Medici.”
Emerging in the ‘90s, blink-182 rapidly became one of the most iconic and influential pop-punk bands of the era, gaining notoriety for their rebellious style, irreverent attitude and lyrics that oscillated between humor, sentimentality and provocation. Their sound, infused with skate punk and alternative rock elements, defined a generation and paved the way for a youth-driven revolt against the establishment—a spirit Banksy shared.
“Mark Hoppus fell for this work for its rebellious spirit, raw edge and unfiltered expression—the fundamentals that also shaped Mark’s world: Punk culture,” Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s Chairman for Europe, said in a statement. “Street art and punk rock share the same vocabulary—they speak to the outsider, the rebel and the overlooked. Both movements were born from the margins. They challenge authority and rewrite the rules, a fundamental trait shared by Mark and Banksy.”
Hoppus discovered he had a passion for art during his college years in California when a professor introduced him to the subject. Yet it was a friend from the skateboarding community who truly sparked his appreciation, taking him to a street art show at LACMA—an experience that connected his worlds of music, art and rebellion. “That’s the moment it all came together for me,” Hoppus recalls. “Skateboarding, punk rock and art. Street art… They are left out and overlooked, making their own reality. Just make it yourself. Fuck everybody else. Just go make art. It’s the same spirit.”
The couple will also direct a portion of the proceeds toward charitable causes, including Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (specifically the Child Life Program) and Cedars Sinai Haematology Oncology Research. Additionally, in response to the recent devastating wildfires in L.A., they will make a contribution to the California Fire Foundation. Last week, on February 13, blink-182 played a one-night-only benefit concert at the Hollywood Palladium, with 100 percent of ticket sales supporting the wildfire relief efforts.
Crude Oil (Vettriano) is on view at Sotheby’s New York from February 18 to 20. It will then head to London for the auction house’s preview exhibition from February 26 through March 4.
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