David Hockney’s The Splash sold for more than £23m

The painting depicts the moment after a diver hits the water in a swimming pool

David Hockney’s The Splash has sold for more than £23m at auction.

The 1966 piece by the Bradford-born artist last sold at Sotheby’s in 2006 for £2.9m and returned to the same auction house on Tuesday evening as the star piece in its Contemporary Evening Art Auction.

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Banksy’s nativity – with bullet hole in place of star – unveiled in Bethlehem

Scar of Bethlehem designed to make people think about how Palestinians live in divided city

Banksy’s latest piece – the artist’s take on a nativity scene – has been unveiled at a hotel in Bethlehem.

The Scar of Bethlehem features a nativity scene with Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus, but instead of a star hanging over the crib there is what appears to be a large bullet hole piercing an imposing grey wall.

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London Extinction Rebellion mural is a Banksy, says expert

Art dealer who owns a dozen pieces by the street artist is convinced by Marble Arch work

A Banksy collector and expert believes a mural that appeared at Extinction Rebellion’s Marble Arch base overnight is an authentic piece by the Bristolian street artist.

John Brandler, who owns a dozen pieces by Banksy is convinced the artwork – which features the slogan “From this moment despair ends and tactics begin” next to a young girl sitting on the ground holding an Extinction Rebellion logo – is an original because of its execution and theme.

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Thieves drive off with Banksy mural on Bataclan fire door

Artwork thought to be homage to the 90 people who died in an Islamist attack on Paris venue

A mural by British street artist Banksy on a fire-exit door at Paris’ Bataclan theatre, where Islamist militants killed 90 people three years ago, has been stolen, the venue has said.

The work, one of a series of murals painted last June in the French capital and attributed to Banksy, showed a veiled female figure in a mournful pose.

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