Features

By Chris Larter
Animal Care Specialist

Animals are an endless source of amazing facts. Get an up-close look at one of the planet’s most remarkable wild animals. This month, learn about the lynx!

A different kind of animal from lions and tigers, the lynx, is another member of the cat family. There are four species of these — the Eurasian (the largest species of lynx), the Canada lynx, the Iberian lynx and the bobcat.

Characteristics

All have the same characteristics of a wide skull, reflective eyes, long face whiskers, black tufts on the tips of their ears, long limbs and a short tail. Their colour can range from brown to golden or beige and nearly white. All have white fur on the chest, belly and the inside of their legs. Interestingly enough, the length of their fur varies according to the climate they live in.

Food

A lynx needs one to two kilograms of meat per day. It feeds on a wide range of animals, including various deer, small antelopes, hares, foxes, sheep, goats, squirrels, mice, turkeys, birds and fish. Their favourite meal is roe deer. However, if they don’t find any, they will eat whatever other animal they find. 

Size

They are the largest predators in Europe after the brown bear and the grey wolf. They grow to a height of 70 centimetres and are 80 to 130 centimetres in length. Males can weigh 18 to 30 kilogrammes, while females stop at 18 kilogrammes. Lynx are usually solitary, although small groups may travel and hunt together occasionally.

Mating takes place in the late winter and, once a year, the female gives birth to between one and four kittens after a ten-week gestation period. The babies stay with their mother until the following winter before living on their own and fending for themselves.

Types

The Eurasian lynx live in central and northern Europe and Asia to the north of Pakistan and India. In Iran, they live on Mount Damavand. They also live in Slovenia and the Plitvice Lakes National Park and Risnjak National Park in Croatia. Several lynx resettlement projects have been successful in Switzerland and Germany. More Eurasian lynx live in Romania, Poland, Russia, Siberia, China, Estonia, Norway, Sweden and Finland, where they help keep the deer population down.

Canada lynx live all over North America, Canada and Alaska. They have large padded paws so that they can walk on snow. They build rough shelters under fallen trees or rock ledges and can climb trees. They’re also good swimmers and can catch fish. They normally eat snowshoe hares or small animals and birds if nothing else is available. Canada lynx are 48 to 56 centimetres in height, 80 to 100 centimetres long and weigh 8-11 kilogrammes. 

The bobcat is a North American wild cat. It is common all over southern Canada, the United States and northern Mexico. It lives in deciduous, coniferous or mixed woodlands and ranges from swamps and desert lands to mountains and agricultural areas. Its spotted coat and striped legs serve as camouflage. As its height is only 51 to 61 centimetres, its length 71 to 100 centimetres and its weight only 9 kilogrammes, it is sometimes killed by coyotes, which are slightly larger. The Iberian lynx is the most endangered of the species. It is native to the Iberian Peninsula in Spain and Portugal. It has a spotted coat and grows to a height of 60 to 70 centimetres and a length of 85 to 140 centimetres. Males weigh up to 13 kilogrammes and females up to 9.4 kilogrammes. 

Lynx in Jordan

Surprisingly, there are a limited number of lynx in Jordan. These are slightly smaller than the bobcat and live in the rough, bare mountainous regions overlooking the Jordan Rift Valley, where they can find caves and hiding places that offer them protection and shelter. They live on rodents, birds, hares, lizards and small deer. The females like to give birth in natural crevices or holes abandoned by other animals.

Some 20 years ago, two lynx arrived at the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad clinic in Wadi Seer. We looked after them for a few days. I was never sure why they came in, as they didn’t need any treatment. The only space where we could put their cage was on a landing halfway up the stairs to the offices! Whenever anyone walked past, they would suddenly fling themselves onto the side of the cage, hissing and spitting fiercely. We got used to this, but many a visitor nearly had a heart attack! 

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours  magazine

PARIS — “Big John”, 66-million-years old and the largest triceratops skeleton ever unearthed at eight metres long, was sold at auction to a US collector on Thursday for a gargantuan 6.6 million euros. 

The final price reached at the Drouot auction house in Paris — 5.5 million euros before fees — was well above the expected 1.2 to 1.5-million-euro sale price. 

Big John’s skeleton is 60 per cent complete and was unearthed in South Dakota in the United States in 2014 and put together by specialists in Italy. 

He will now return to the United States and the private collection of the unnamed buyer, whom the auction house said had fallen “in love” with Big John after coming to view him. 

The buyer beat 10 other bidders, with three in particular driving up the price in the final minutes.

“It’s a remarkable price,” said auctioneer Alexandre Giquello.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” added palaeontologist Iacopo Briano who oversaw the sale. 

Big John lived during the Upper Cretaceous period, the final era of dinosaurs, and died in a floodplain, buried in mud that kept him well preserved.

A horn injury near his cranium suggests he got into at least one nasty fight. 

The sale was a European record, but still far off the $31.8 million paid last year for a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in New York.

It was clear from the start that museums would be priced out of Wednesday’s auction.

“We can’t compete,” said Francis Duranthon, director of the Toulouse Museum of Natural History, adding that the initial price estimate alone amounted to 20 to 25 years of his acquisitions budget

The auction house said there is a chance that the buyer may lend Big John to a museum or gallery to go on public display, but his intentions are not yet clear.

‘Awed me’

Scientists who analysed his bones before the auction found that his cranium — which is 70 per cent complete — is five to 10 per cent bigger than other discovered triceratop skeletons.

The triceratops is among the most distinctive of dinosaurs due to the three horns on its head — one at the nose and two on the forehead — that give the dinosaur its Latin name. 

Drouot has previously sold an allosaurus and a diplodocus each worth 1.4 million euros in 2018.

Dinosaur sales can be unpredictable: in 2020, several specimens offered in Paris found no takers with minimum prices not reached.

Others are concerned that important finds will end up adorning the private mansions of the ultra-rich rather than museum halls.

“Dinosaur fossils belong in museums,” said Steve Brusatte, a consultant on the forthcoming “Jurassic World” movie and author of “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs”.

He remembers being a teenager and seeing the fossil that would inspire him to go into palaeontology — the T. rex skeleton Sue at the Field Museum in Chicago.

“It awed me and standing under it, it gave me a new perspective on the ancient world,” he told AFP.

Sue was sold at auction in 1997, and Chicago’s Field Museum was able to raise over $8 million to purchase it.

“A single wealthy person could have bought it, brought it home and it would never have been put on display for the public, to inspire me and countless other children,” said Brusatte.

PARIS — Could delivering COVID-19 immunity directly to the nose — the area of the body via which it is most likely to be transmitted — help conquer the pandemic? 

The World Health Organisation says clinical trials are under way to evaluate eight nasal spray vaccines that target COVID-19. 

The most advanced effort so far by China's Xiamen University, the University of Hong Kong and Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy has completed phase-2 trials.

"When the virus infects someone it usually gets in through the nose," said researcher Nathalie Mielcarek who is working with the Lille Pasteur Institute to develop a nasal spray vaccine against whooping cough. 

"The idea is to shut the door."

An article published in Scientific American in March urged developing nasal spray vaccines because they have an immediate effect on the virus in an infected person's mucus. 

There they trigger production of an antibody known as immunoglobulin A, which can block infection. 

"This overwhelming response, called sterilising immunity, reduces the chance that people will pass on the virus," said the article. 

The vaccines currently available offer strong protection against severe forms of COVID-19 but are less reliable at preventing the spread of the virus. 

Stimulating immunity directly in the nose "lowers the risk of infecting other people", said Mielcarek.

"From there you have less of the virus infecting the lungs and so fewer severe cases since the viral load is lower," she added.

An article published in March by Gavi the Vaccine Alliance noted other advantages, including the fact that the sprays don't need refrigeration and don't need to be administered by health professionals.

"People would be able to self-administer them at home," the article says, adding "they are likely to be more popular for the millions of people who don't like needles".

And in a French study on mice presented last week, 100 per cent of subjects vaccinated with the spray survived infection by COVID-19 while all unvaccinated mice died. 

"The vaccinated animals... showed low levels of the virus so they are not contagious anymore — that's one of the advantages of the nasal spray," Philippe Mauguin, CEO of the French institute that hopes to patent the vaccine told AFP. 

Isabelle Dimier-Poisson who led the research has high hopes.

"It could allow us to get back to life before the pandemic, without social distancing, and without masks," she said.

By Philippe Grelard and Eric Randolph
Agence France-Presse

PARIS — Elton John might be 74 and struggling with a dodgy hip, but his musical taste remains far cooler than most guys half his age. 

While most ageing rockstars are happy to rehash the sounds of their glory days, Sir Elton is more likely to be found in a studio with the likes of Young Thug, Nicki Minaj and Lil Nas X. 

Admittedly, many of the collaborations for “The Lockdown Sessions”, his new album out Friday, had to happen over Zoom due to the pandemic, but it remains a testament to his omnivorous taste for new sounds. 

“If you’re my age and still learning from other musicians, that’s the greatest gift of all,” said John.

He was speaking in a press call last month ahead of a hip operation that has forced him to postpone several dates from his long-running farewell tour.

“If you shut your mind off and say you can’t learn anything more... that’s the dead end,” he said. 

“I’m more excited about music now than I’ve ever been.”

‘A thrill’

The new album spans the generations, featuring everyone from Stevie Wonder to Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder to his latest hit “Cold Heart” with Dua Lipa.

That approach is why the Rocketman has achieved the unparalleled feat of at least one single in the British top 10 in each of the last six decades — 33 in total. 

“It gave me a thrill to see Young Thug come into a studio and freestyle. He just sat down at the microphone and off he went. I was blown away,” John said. 

It’s an attitude that also means he doesn’t want any deference from his young collaborators, despite them knowing they are working with a guy who has sold more than 300 million albums. 

“When [27-year-old dance star SJ Lewis] gave me the first version of our song, it was too Elton John-ish. I said ‘Just obliterate it — turn it into an SG Lewis track’, and he did,” John said. 

“I think he was frightened to insult me. But I wanted to be insulted! And he got there in the end. He didn’t insult me at all — he made the record that I wanted to make with him.” 

“The Lockdown Sessions” brings together new tracks as well as recent collaborations for albums by other artists, including his song for the last Gorillaz album and his cover of “Nothing Else Matters” that he recorded with Miley Cyrus for the 30th anniversary of Metallica’s “Black Album”. 

In some ways it marks a return to his roots.

“I was a session musician before I became Elton,” said the British star, who was born Reginald Dwight.

The Lil Nas X track, he said, was recorded in the same Abbey Road studio where he played backing piano for The Holly’s ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ 54 years earlier. 

“I thought ‘I’ve come full circle here and I’m really loving what I’m doing’.” 

Having never lost his love of record stores, keeping his finger on the pulse comes naturally. 

He rattled off a list of emerging artists that have barely registered with the mainstream media yet, including Trinidadian rapper Berwyn to teenage singer-songwriter Morgen. 

“She’s 16!” he said of Morgen. “When I was 16 I was still picking my nose.”

‘Friendship and authenticity’

He has also used his radio show “Rocket Hour” on Apple Music to feed his habit. 

“It’s given me access. When I play a record I love, I interview them on the show or phone them up.

“It’s important to me to offer friendship and authenticity,” he said, recalling how musicians like The Beach Boys and The Band reached out and encouraged him when he first went to the United States in the 1970s.

Having worked with almost every major popstar of the past half-century, is there anyone left on his bucket list? 

“Something with Billie Eilish one day,” he said. “But not yet, because she’s still forging her own path.”

By Etienne Balmer
Agence France-Presse

TOKYO — With an ageing population in need of transport, Japan is betting on autonomous cars, but an accident involving a self-driving showcase at the Paralympics illustrates the challenges ahead.

Japan is far from the only place with autonomous vehicles on the roads, but its government has set acceleration of the technology as a key priority.

Last year, it became the first country in the world to allow a vehicle capable of taking full control in certain situations to operate on public roads.

The Honda car has “Level 3” autonomy, meaning it can take certain decisions alone, though a driver has to be ready to take the wheel in emergencies.

The government has changed the law to pave the way for increasingly advanced autonomous vehicles, and the ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI) has plans for 40 autonomous taxi test sites nationwide by 2025.

It’s a policy driven by a serious problem: Japan’s population is the oldest in the world, and the country is plagued by persistent labour shortages.

“In the cargo and transport sectors, drivers have become older and the shortage of human resources has become serious,” a recent METI report said.

It also warned of “terrible traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers making operational errors”.

With demand clear, local automakers have lined up to develop technologies. 

Top-selling Toyota plans to run its e-Palette self-driving buses along dedicated roads in the smart city it is building at the foot of Mount Fuji.

The buses ran in the athletes’ village during the Tokyo 2020 Games, but the project was briefly suspended after a vehicle hit and lightly injured a visually impaired Paralympian.

The bus had detected the man and stopped, but an operator on board overrode the system.

For Christopher Richter, head of Japan research at brokerage CLSA and an automotive specialist, the incident demonstrates how far the sector has to go.

“People said autonomous is ready for these kinds of controlled communities,” but even there “it failed”, he told AFP.

‘Complicated areas’

For rural Japan, autonomous vehicles “will become a necessity”, Richter added.

“I can see why it’s a priority for the government, for carmakers... [but] big-scale autonomous driving is probably not coming in our decade.”

Japan’s automakers admit the time horizon is a complex proposition at this stage.

When Nissan launched tests of its “Easy Ride” self-driving taxis in 2018, it said it expected them to be commercially available from the early 2020s.

But Kazuhiro Doi, the company’s global vice president in charge of research, is more circumspect now.

“Social acceptance [of autonomous cars] is not high enough,” he told AFP.

“Very few people have experience with autonomous driving. Without having experience, I think it’s very hard to accept it, because it’s too new.”

This month, the Easy Ride taxis are in their third round of tests on public roads in Yokohama outside Tokyo, albeit in a limited area designated for the purpose.

“Doors closing”, a woman’s voice says after a passenger presses the car’s “go” button, and the vehicle sets off by itself, moving cautiously in the drizzle.

“When we provide a test ride for customers, everybody is surprised... It’s better than what they expected,” Doi said.

“And that kind of experience needs to be accumulated.”

But he admits it is hard to say when autonomous taxis could be commercially available in Japan, noting that the Easy Ride cars currently avoid “complicated” areas with narrow or winding streets.

“Unfortunately, complicated areas have customers,” he said.

Slightly larger than its predecessor, the Suzuki Ertiga arguably went up a segment from “mini” to “compact” MultiPurpose Vehicle (MPV) when launched in its second generation in 2018. Produced by the small car specialist Japanese manufacturer in India and Indonesia, the Ertiga is a pitch perfect product for many developing markets.

Well-packaged and spacious in a compact frame, it is an economical and affordable seven-seat solution with decent equipment levels and driving dynamics, ideal for larger families on a budget.

Contemporary and comfortable

One of the larger vehicles built on the versatile HEARTECT platform that underpins many Suzuki products including sub-compacts and even micro Japanese market “kei” cars, the Ertiga is a more practical and mature proposition than the car it replaces.

Riding on the same length wheelbase, the current Ertiga is nevertheless noticeably longer and wider — and slightly taller — to make it a more comfortable seven-seat daily drive proposition. Meanwhile, its generous 180mm ground clearance is especially useful for less than perfect road surfacing and conditions.

Firmly positioned as an MPV, the Ertiga’s generous ground clearance, assertive bumper treatment and high bonnet line are all design details inspired by the ever more popular crossover SUV segment. Featuring contemporary design elements including big, deep and bulging lower foglight housings, moderately browed, squinting headlights, descending and semi-floating roofline and prominently creased surfacing and character lines, the Ertiga’s height is, however, primarily dedicated to cabin space rather than ride height, and allows for long rear doors for easy rear access.

Eager delivery

A compact and economical seven-seater, the Ertiga is meanwhile powered by Suzuki’s familiar naturally-aspirated, transversely-mounted 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine, driving the front wheels through a smooth 4-speed automatic gearbox. Developing 103BHP at 6,000rpm and 102lb/ft at 4,400rpm, the Ertiga carries its lightweight 1,170kg mass through 0-100km/h at a respectably good rate, estimated at around 12-seconds and onto a 170km/h top speed. With just four ratios, its gearbox nevertheless makes good use of available output by intuitively selecting the right gear at the right moment.

Small and modest in output, the Ertiga’s engine is nevertheless well suited and effective for its task, and is even rewarding in how it does it. Eager and progressive in character, the Ertiga’s 1.5-litre engine is ever willing to rev right to it redline, accompanied by a viscerally rising yet adequately insulated snarl. A progressive engine, it allows for good throttle control to dial in exact increments of power. Meanwhile, it pulls hard at low and mid-range speed, delivering adequate on the move versatility.

Comfortable and manoeuvrable

Responsive to inputs and happy to rev from idling speed to redline, the Ertiga’s eager engine is matched by eager and nimble handling traits rarely associated with seven-seat MPVs. Not quite a hatchback in terms of handling ability or fun factor, the lightweight Ertiga is not far off, with quick and light steering, and is tidy and responsive turning into corners on a whim. Committed in its front grip, the Ertiga’s length is, however, more evident than a smaller, lower hatchback.

That said, the Ertiga is nevertheless very agile and manoeuvrable compared with near any seven-seat people carrier or crossover, with good body lean control for a tall and relatively narrow vehicle. Comfortable and refined for its price segment, the Ertiga rides over most road imperfections with a supple disposition, and dispatches bigger bumps with ease but can be slightly firm — yet never harsh — in such circumstances. Meanwhile it rides in a settled and stable fashion in town and as speed picks up.

Practical people carrier

Engineered and built for space, fuel and cost efficiency, the Ertiga is easy to manoeuvre and park. Meanwhile, relatively slim and tall 185/65R15 tyres are forgiving, affordable, durable and offer intuitive road feel, while helping reduce fuel consumption. Inside, the driver sits high with good road visibility and a sense of being at the centre of the action, as far as driving dynamics are concerned. The steering is meanwhile positioned slightly low, but there’s enough adjustability and plenty of headroom for tall, large drivers.

A spacious, practical and affordable MPV, currently available at JD16,750, the Ertiga delivers plenty of middle row head and legroom, with sliding and folding seats that provide access to a suitably useable, if not quite so spacious third row. Pleasant and user-friendly with good quality, if not luxurious, materials, surfaces and textures, the Ertiga usefully features roof level A/C vents for middle and rear occupants. Luggage capacity meanwhile expands from 153-litre, to 550- and 803-litres with third and all rows folded down, respectively.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.5-litre, transverse 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 74 x 85mm

Compression: 10.5:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, multipoint injection

Gearbox: 4-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

Gear ratios: 1st 2.875; 2nd 1.568; 3rd 1.0; 4th 0.697

Reverse/final drive ratios: 2.3/4.375

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 103 (105) [77] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 70.45BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 88BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 102 (138) @4,400rpm

Specific torque: 94.39Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 118Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: approximately 12-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 170km/h

Fuel capacity: 45-litres

Length: 4,395mm

Width: 1,735mm

Height: 1,690mm

Wheelbase: 2,740mm

Tread, F/R: 1,510/1,540mm

Ground clearance: 180mm

Kerb weight: 1,170kg

Gross vehicle weight: 1,740kg

Doors/seats: 5/7

Luggage volume, behind 3rd/2nd/1st row: 153-/550-/803-litres

Steering: Power-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 10.4-metres

Suspension: MacPherson struts/torsion beam

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/drums

Tyres: 185/65R15

Price, JD16,750 (on the road, comprehensive insurance)

Warranty: 60,000km or 3-years

By Dina Halaseh
Educational Psychologist

With back-to-school season upon us, parents prepare for the school year: They buy new bags and uniforms, making sure their children are academically prepared. This year, consider helping your children plan, organise and manage their time effectively.

Children who can manage their homework, plan for their assessments, finish all assignments on time, prepare for the next day and who work things out throughout the school year, are more resilient and successful. They put effort into achieving their goals and how they need to adjust, change and adapt along the way. 

The science of time management

Logic and reasoning refer to one’s ability to plan, organise and solve problems. With time management, we have so many tasks to finish in a short time. We spend time trying to organise all these tasks into different time slots according to their importance, due date, the effort needed to finish them and their degree of urgency. Logic and reasoning are also required to figure out how to use our resources and time to reach our goals. In doing so, we realise the ultimate goal, provide the needed resources to achieve it, prioritise it over other plans or activities and adapt to any sudden changes or adjustments.

That kind of understanding and the effort that goes into planning are not easy. Yet reflecting on how we do things and what we can do to improve, helps children do the things they dislike, knowing full well that those things will help them improve. You can help your children realise that the time spent doing their homework or studying is getting them somewhere even if they can’t see it now.

The link to problem solving

The stronger your child’s logical thinking skills are, the easier it will be to come up with beneficial solutions. Problem solving doesn’t just happen at school; it also affects a child’s ability to navigate through personal and social problems. Whenever children encounter a problem at school or in life, they usually analyse the situation and data provided to help find a solution that results in a positive outcome. 

Many children struggling with logic and reasoning find it hard to stand up for themselves or are overly dramatic in dealing with the issue. Many students try to shy away from the problem they face at school to only be very frustrated and angry at home or with other siblings, reacting strongly and not appropriately to the situation itself. This has many consequences in their daily lives and not just at school. So, logic and reasoning are essential for us to help cultivate, for ourselves and for our children.

Developing the skills

Share with your child your thinking process as you make conclusions and come up with solutions in your day-to-day life. Playing games, such as chess and Tic-Tac-Toe, are great ways to raise your child’s level of logic and reasoning. 

Using patterns and visual teasers is another way to help children analyse what they’re seeing and figuring out the next solution or the answer to the pattern. 

Finally, don’t forget that proper brain training can help rewire the brain to enable any person to gain an edge and increase logic and reasoning skills.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

LONDON — A partially shredded canvas of one of Banksy’s most celebrated works sold at auction in London on Thursday for £18.58 million ($25.38 million), a new record for the British artist, three years after the artwork was bought for a fraction of that price.

The artwork — now called “Love is in the Bin” — sold for nearly £1.1 million at the same Sotheby’s auction house location in October 2018, before it dramatically passed through a shredder hidden in the large Victorian-style frame moments later.

The surreal prank was orchestrated by the elusive and irreverent Banksy, whose identity is said to be known to only a handful of friends, and caused a global sensation.

Thursday evening’s sale, which saw nine bidders battle for around 10 minutes for the work formerly called “Girl With Balloon”, beats the previous record of £16.75 million set for Banksy in March. 

Bidding for “Love is in the Bin” quickly climbed from the starting price of £2.5 million, with auctioneer Oliver Barker revelling in the drama.

“I can’t tell you how terrified I am to bring down this hammer,” he said as the final bid went unchallenged.

The work was reportedly sold to a private investor. The seventh lot in a wide-ranging contemporary arts offering, it had an estimated selling price of between £4-6 million. 

“It is almost three years to the day since one of the most ingenious moments of performance art this century made auction history,” Alex Branczik of Sotheby’s said following the record haul.

“Banksy is no stranger to making headlines and this latest chapter in his story has captured imaginations across the world — we can only begin to guess what might come next.” 

Unpredictable

The 2018 stunt, which poked fun at the traditionally staid world of fine art, is typical of the graffiti artist’s disruptive style evident since his work first began appearing on the streets of Bristol in southwest England in the 1980s.

It was the latest in a long history of unpredictable moves for the provocative guerilla artist, whose work has appeared across Britain and around the world. 

The part-shredded canvas, bought in 2018 by an unnamed European woman and exhibited for a month at a museum in Germany in 2019, depicts a small child reaching up towards a heart-shaped red balloon.

The original, which first appeared on a wall in east London, has been reproduced endlessly in prints and online, and appropriated by some of the world’s best-known brands.

It had been called one of the most significant artworks of the early 21st century in the British press, before the shredded version was granted a new certificate and date by Pest Control, Banksy’s authentication body, and given the new title.

‘Game changer’

Banksy’s latest works have appeared in several British seaside towns over the summer, with the country’s most famous street artist confirming they were his creations in an Instagram video entitled “A Great British Spraycation”.

It showed him taking a summer road trip in a beat-up camper van with cans of spray paint stashed in a cooler.

In recent years, he has kept the attention of the contemporary art world with his social commentaries and causes — migrants, opposition to Brexit, denunciation of Islamist radicals — while still stirring the excitement of the moneyed art markets.

In March, the work that had broken his previous sales price record honoured caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic, with the proceeds donated to the state-run National Health Service.

The painting, “Game Changer”, sold to an unnamed buyer for £14.4 million plus costs after fierce bidding at Christie’s auction house in London.

Contemporary art auctions have rebounded to an all-time high over the last year, boosted by online sales and the arrival of digital art in the form of “NFTs”, an annual report by Artprice said on Monday.