Banksy Just Made a Surprisingly Earnest Painting of a Superhero Nurse and Donated It to a British Hospital as a Morale Booster

Banksy has donated a painting to England’s Southampton
General Hospital in an effort to raise the spirits of medical
professionals working on the frontlines of the coronavirus
pandemic.

The painting, an uncharacteristic medium for the elusive street
artist, shows a young boy playing with a superhero doll dressed as
a nurse, complete with a mask and apron bearing the Red Cross
symbol, and a cape fluttering behind her. Next to the child, a
wastebasket holds castoffs, including Spider–Man and Batman
figurines—outdated versions of superheroes in our new
pandemic-stricken world.

The artist left a note with the special delivery,
titled game changer, that read: “Thanks for all
you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its
only black and white.”

The hospital, which is the largest in the University Hospital
Southampton NHS Foundation Trust system, hosts coronavirus
researchers, including those who are starting vaccine trials.

Speaking to the BBC, which first reported the
news, hospital trust CEO Paula Head said: “It will be really valued
by everyone in the hospital, as people get a moment in their busy
lives to pause, reflect and appreciate this piece of art. It will
no doubt also be a massive boost to morale for everyone who works
and is cared for at our hospital.”

The work will remain on view in a foyer near the emergency
department until this fall, at which point it will go up for
auction to raise money for the National Health Service. And judging
by recent history, it could be quite profitable. In late March,
Sotheby’s held an online auction of Banksy’s works
that netted $1.4 million, showing that buyers were
undeterred by the economic downturn.

This isn’t the first time the anonymous artist has made work
commenting on our isolated new realities. In April he showed off
his new work-from-home life with a mural painted in
his bathroom.

The post Banksy Just Made a Surprisingly Earnest Painting of
a Superhero Nurse and Donated It to a British Hospital as a Morale
Booster appeared first on artnet News.