Banksy anti-war art sells at four times value, money goes to Ukraine children's hospital

A work by UK artist Bansky, from an anonymous donor, was sold at four times its value on Sunday, at more than $106,000, according to an auction house. The money will go to benefit Ukraine's largest children's hospital which is located in the country's capital of Kyiv.

The money comes at a time when medical staff at various hospitals in Ukraine have had to move operations into basements amid heavy Russian shelling in the country.

Patients are said to have been flooding into Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kiyv since the war started on Feb. 24, the Washington Post reported. The Kyiv Independent says that Okhmatdyt children's hospital treats critically ill patients.

Bansky, an artist based in the British city of Bristol, created the anti-war work in 2005 and titled it "CND Soldiers." As the BBC notes, the piece shows two soldiers painting the symbol for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament on a wall, with one of the soldiers holding a brush, and the other appearing to stand guard with a firearm.

Charlotte Stewart, of MyArtBroker.com, the auction house facilitating the auction said the proceeds from the sale of the piece "will make an enormous difference to the lives of staff, children and their families in the weeks ahead."

My Art Broker said on their website, "An incredibly generous client offered to sell their ever-relevant CND Soldiers print by Banksy."

The statement goes on to say, "The highest bid has far exceeded our expectations at US $106,505. Such extraordinary generosity from our seller, could not have been better reciprocated by the winning bidder."

For those who wish to donate directly to the hospital, MyArtBroker.com has links on their sitedirecting potential donors on how to do so.