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Banksy's ‘Sunflower from Petrol Station’ to Fetch 13 Million Pound at Auction

A Banksy painting inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers which is to be auctioned in November 2021. The painting, titled Sunflowers From Petrol Station, is being sold by fashion designer Sir Paul Smith.
A Banksy painting inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers which is to be auctioned in November 2021. The painting, titled Sunflowers From Petrol Station, is being sold by fashion designer Sir Paul Smith.
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Banksy's ‘Sunflower from Petrol Station’ to Fetch 13 Million Pound at Auction

A Banksy painting inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers which is to be auctioned in November 2021. The painting, titled Sunflowers From Petrol Station, is being sold by fashion designer Sir Paul Smith.
A Banksy painting inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers which is to be auctioned in November 2021. The painting, titled Sunflowers From Petrol Station, is being sold by fashion designer Sir Paul Smith.

Banksy's "Sunflowers From Petrol Station" is being sold by fashion designer Sir Paul Smith and it has been valued at between £8.8 million and £13.2 million. The work is inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

According to the daily Mirror, the 2005 artwork will be displayed in Los Angeles and Hong Kong ahead of its sale in New York next month. Sir Paul said: "What initially attracted me to Banksy was his confidence and clarity to communicate something exactly as it is. I was so impressed by his observations of what was happening in the world and that remains true of the work he's doing today."

"His political statements are completely on point, really profound, really brave and consistently delivered in a modern way. I was delighted to have the opportunity to be able to own a piece of his work and the Sunflower itself presents such a brilliantly unique way of thinking about things," he continued.

Commenting on the piece's display for auction, Katharine Arnold, Christie's head of post-war and contemporary art in Europe, said: "Following the record-breaking sale of Game Changer in March, another major oil on canvas by Banksy - we are delighted to offer Sunflowers From Petrol Station this November."

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This Ancient Tadpole Fossil Is the Oldest Ever Discovered

A fossil of the world's oldest tadpole, which coexisted with dinosaurs in the Middle Jurassic about 165 million years ago, is pictured next to a 3D-printed representation of the tadpole and of a fully developed frog, in Buenos Aires, Argentina October 28, 2024. (Reuters)
A fossil of the world's oldest tadpole, which coexisted with dinosaurs in the Middle Jurassic about 165 million years ago, is pictured next to a 3D-printed representation of the tadpole and of a fully developed frog, in Buenos Aires, Argentina October 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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This Ancient Tadpole Fossil Is the Oldest Ever Discovered

A fossil of the world's oldest tadpole, which coexisted with dinosaurs in the Middle Jurassic about 165 million years ago, is pictured next to a 3D-printed representation of the tadpole and of a fully developed frog, in Buenos Aires, Argentina October 28, 2024. (Reuters)
A fossil of the world's oldest tadpole, which coexisted with dinosaurs in the Middle Jurassic about 165 million years ago, is pictured next to a 3D-printed representation of the tadpole and of a fully developed frog, in Buenos Aires, Argentina October 28, 2024. (Reuters)

Scientists have discovered the oldest-known fossil of a giant tadpole that wriggled around over 160 million years ago.

The new fossil, found in Argentina, surpasses the previous ancient record holder by about 20 million years.

Imprinted in a slab of sandstone are parts of the tadpole's skull and backbone, along with impressions of its eyes and nerves.

“It's not only the oldest tadpole known, but also the most exquisitely preserved,” said study author Mariana Chuliver, a biologist at Buenos Aires’ Maimonides University.

Researchers know frogs were hopping around as far back as 217 million years ago. But exactly how and when they evolved to begin as tadpoles remains unclear.

This new discovery adds some clarity to that timeline. At about a half foot (16 centimeters) long, the tadpole is a younger version of an extinct giant frog.

“It's starting to help narrow the timeframe in which a frog becomes a frog,” said Ben Kligman, a paleontologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History who was not involved with the research.

The results were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The fossil is strikingly similar to the tadpoles of today — even containing remnants of a gill scaffold system that modern-day tadpoles use to sift food particles from water.

That means the amphibians' survival strategy has stayed tried and true for millions of years, helping them outlast several mass extinctions, Kligman said.