Jamie Oliver ditched unwanted Banksy paintings before they were worth millions

Jamie Oliver says he once ditched some original Banksy paintings as they were not to his taste.

The TV chef, who was gifted the now-sought-after artworks when they “weren’t worth that much”, confessed that he got rid of them as he didn’t want them on display. The guerilla artist’s work can now fetch millions.

Jamie, 49, said: “In the 90s, it was all Cool Britan­­nia. I’d go to Banksy shows and all the art would be elephants and rhinos. I was like, ‘What’s this all about?’

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“I got given Banksys for presents, for real – they weren’t worth that much then. I got rid of them because I didn’t want them hanging on my wall.”

The value of Banksy’s work has increased significantly over the past 20 years. An original can cost from €241,000 to €361,500, while signed prints start from around €42,175.

The most expensive Banksy ever sold at auction was Love is in the Bin, which fetched €22.4million in 2021. It was created at an earlier auction when his Girl with Balloon began to shred itself at the sale.

Speaking at Sydney’s Opera House, dad-of-five Jamie also told of his “weird” family life. “It’s like the Addams family,” he said.

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