Banksy truck artwork sells for almost a million dollars in Paris

A big Banksy artwork spray painted on the side of a truck has sold in Paris for 625,400 euros (AU $900,000), an auction house has said.

The 10-metre (33-foot) wide painting, made in 1998 and titled "Silent Majority", was done on the side of a truck's trailer during the Glastonbury Festival in England by the mysterious 40-year-old British street artist with the help of a colleague named Inkie.

It shows what looks like commandos landing on a beach in an inflatable dinghy fitted with music speakers.

Painted freehand with spray cans, it doesn't resemble the better-known more recent works of Banksy, which rely on stencils.

The owners of the vehicle sold the piece with an authentification certificate from Banksy through the company Digard Auction.

Drouot, the auction house that put the artwork under the hammer on Monday, said it was the first time a certified large Banksy work has been auctioned off.

The 625,400-euro selling price included the auctioneer's fees.