Gay Bar Art Auction

A London gay bar, the Shadow Lounge, will host a $3 million art auction on Oct. 11 during the Frieze Art Fair, with works by Banksy, Damien Hirst and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy dealer Steve Lazarides said. The catalog for the sale, |"The Soho Auction," features pictures of prostitutes, some with telephone numbers. Banksy, a former graffiti artist, graduated to the auction rooms in 2004 and has attracted collectors from hedge funds to Hirst. Works by Andy Warhol and Micallef will be auctioned. Lazarides's Soho auction will be part of a series of sales by Sotheby's, Christie's International, Phillips de Pury & Co. and Bonhams during Frieze, whose organizers said they expect about 63,000 visits this year. Banksy will provide three pieces for the auction. The spray-painted "Rat With Roller," from 2006, wears a pair of overalls and holds a paint pot and a roller. It is a unique work, Lazarides said. "I took a price of £80,000 because that's what I thought it could get." Banksy's other two pictures haven't arrived yet, he said. Lazarides declined to identify Banksy, who keeps his name a secret. He said he wasn't Banksy himself. Banksy probably wouldn't attend the auction, he said. (For full source and full article click the Headline). Irish Art