Banksy 'Balloon For Haiti' painting sells to Chris Martin for $650k at Haitian charity auction

Sean Penn's Help Haiti Home Gala, which took place on Sunday (12th January) at the Montage Beverly Hills, saw Chris Martin spend $650,000/£395,000 on a painting of a heart shaped balloon, by the British street artist Banksy. Full discussion on this is at the Coldplay forum now [thanks Tash, walewein]Chris and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow were amongst celebrities who attended this star-packed evening. Chris Martin left the gala with the 39 x 48' wood panel. The Heart Balloon is a variation of the New York street piece which appeared last October during Banksy's month long residency "Better Out Than In."Chris was seen using his bidding paddle for the work of art bidding against E! chat show host Chelsea Handler. He put in the final bid a record price for a Banksy work of this type.

Blimey... Chris Martin just bid $600,000 for a new Banksy painting at Sean Penn Haiti fundraiser. Gwyneth giggling...
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 12, 2014

#banksy 4 seanpenn #helphaitihome @armani goes for $650K 2 #chrismartin amazing!! http://t.co/qPXlEdfkGX
— Krista Smith (@KristaSmith) January 12, 2014

The mission at J/P Haitian Relief Organisation is to save lives and bring sustainable programs to the Haitian people quickly and effectively. Since the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, J/P HRO has been on the ground, working with some of the most vulnerable populations to not only recover from the earthquake but to build a brighter future for themselves, their families and their country.J/P HRO is manages Pétion-Ville Camp, a tent city build on a golf course. Immediately after the January 2010 disaster it became a temporary home to nearly 60,000 people. Today, more than 80 percent have returned to homes and 8,000 displaced people remain. J/P HRO has committed to assist these families as they transition from camp life to safe communities.Reported Timeslive (South Africa):

Chris Martin bought himself a Banksy painting. This doesn't surprise us, after all Banksy is a trendy graffiti artist and as we all know, Martin has a spray can soul. On the other hand, he could have gotten a cheaper deal, remember how genuine 60 dollar Banksy paintings were sold in a stall near Central Park during the artist's residence in NY in October of last year. In recent years, the art market has witnessed an increasing number of singers and movie stars acting as leading collectors and taste makers, remember Kanye West's visit to TEFAF, the world most important art fair, last year. That being said, I don't know whether or not Martin is a collector. Cunning investment, a display of generosity or the love of art, there will be a number of reasons behind this purchase. I, for one, think that the image of the hart-shaped balloon with band-aids is not the most original in the artist's portfolio but as Martin and Paltrow celebrated their wedding anniversary recently, the image might have resonated with them. Anyway, what do you think of Martin's latest purchase? Do you think we will see more of him collecting? Do any of you know of previous purchases? Personally, if I could afford it, I would also like a banksy painting, albeit a more inventive image.

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Banksy 'Balloon For Haiti' painting sells to Chris Martin for $650k at Haitian charity auction

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