The Bansky Nurse is a Superhero

The elusive artist has created a piece called Game Changer that has gone on display, nicely framed, in a corridor at Southampton general hospital.

The painting by the secretive street artist was unveiled at University Hospital Southampton, in south England, on Wednesday.

The nurse, wearing a face mask and a white apron featuring a red cross, has her arm raised as if she is flying, with a cape fluttering behind her.

Banksy left a note for hospital workers, saying: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.”

A young boy chooses a nurse as the superhero he wants to play with over Batman and Spiderman in a new artwork by Banksy that encapsulates the gratitude Britons have felt toward the country's National Health Service during the coronavirus crisis.

After lockdown measures are lifted, the piece – which is approximately one metre square – will be put on public display. It will then be auctioned to raise money for NHS charities, a spokeswoman for Banksy confirmed.

Hospital chief executive Paula Head said: "So proud to reveal this amazing piece of art 'Painting for Saints', created by #Banksy as a thank you to all those who work with and for the NHS and our hospital."

"An inspirational backdrop to pause and reflect in these unprecedented times," she added on Twitter.

It is not the first Banksy work inspired by Covid-19. He posted scenes of his trademark stencilled rats running amok in a bathroom last month, accompanied by the comment: "My wife hates it when I work from home."

His existing "Girl with a Pierced Eardrum" mural was also updated with the addition of a blue surgical mask, although the update was not confirmed to be his work on Instagram.

The work will remain on view in a foyer near the emergency department until this fall, at which point it will go up for auction to raise money for the National Health Service. And judging by recent history, it could be quite profitable. In late March, Sotheby’s held an online auction of Banksy’s works that netted $1.4 million, showing that buyers were undeterred by the economic downturn.