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Banksy mural on the side of dilapidated farmhouse destroyed

<p dir="ltr">A dilapidated farmhouse, with a Banksy mural on its side, has been demolished in the seaside town of Herne Bay in Kent, England.</p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork, called <em>Morning is Broken</em>, features a young boy with a cat at his side opening corrugated iron curtains and staring at the world outside. </p> <p dir="ltr">The farmhouse was built in 1529, and was approved for demolition in late 2022, before anyone realised the importance of the mural. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We had no idea it was a Banksy. It made me feel sick realising it was a Banksy—we were gutted,” contractor George Caudwell told <em><a href="https://www.kentonline.co.uk/herne-bay/news/banksy-confirms-new-artwork-but-its-already-been-torn-dow-283771/">KentOnline</a></em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We started demolishing it yesterday. The landowner watched us do it and didn’t know either.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Banksy shared news of the demolition on his Instagram with a series of pictures, posting a photo of the destruction, simply writing over the image, “Morning is broken.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpzwGpPM56f/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpzwGpPM56f/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">One person who has a personal connection with the farmhouse left a comment for the elusive street artist, writing, “This was my grandma's farm house before it was left to ruins, I spent so many happy hours in the house and at the farm, this was even done on the room I used to sleep in with the farm cat.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you so much for this Mr Banksy, my grandparents would have been very proud ❤️”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The demolition comes just weeks after another Banksy artwork in the UK town of Margate was destroyed. </p> <p dir="ltr">The artist took up the theme of domestic violence against women in a piece titled <em>Valentine’s Day Mascara</em>, depicting a 1950s housewife with a missing tooth and a black eye as she packs a male body into a real-life freezer chest.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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Banksy: who should foot the bill to protect his work in public spaces?

<p>When a mural by artist Banksy <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46617742">appeared on a garage wall</a> in Port Talbot, the building’s owner, Ian Lewis, had no idea just <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46771722">how many people</a> would want to get a good look at it. The mural has attracted <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46759349">thousands of visitors</a> and Lewis has been keen to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46617742">protect it</a>, by employing guards, and building a see-through covering over the work.</p> <p>But should there even be security on a piece of graffiti? After all, <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/38778/occupying-the-walls-graffiti-as-political-protest/">the essence of graffiti</a> is that it is temporary and subject to the possibility of being covered over with the next slogan or image. It has long been one of the means by which people can <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2017/may/17/writing-wall-political-graffiti-banksy-brexit-trump-in-pictures">make their views known</a> in a very public way without official sanction. It is a form of protest that visually takes up public space and asks for no endorsement and often no individual credit.</p> <p>The list of graffiti artists who have gained recognition in the contemporary art world is not a long one. Shepherd Fairey, who <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/229396/barack-obama-hope-poster">designed the Obama “Hope” poster</a>, and <a href="https://www.theartstory.org/artist-basquiat-jean-michel.htm">Jean Michel Basquiat</a> are two of the most well known. Banksy himself has been quoted as saying that he never craved commercial success and that it’s actually <a href="https://www.villagevoice.com/2013/10/09/village-voice-exclusive-an-interview-with-banksy-street-art-cult-hero-international-man-of-mystery/">a mark of failure for a graffiti artist</a>. </p> <p>A lofty sentiment, but whether he wants it or not, the popularity of Banksy’s work is phenomenal. The pared down stencil style coupled with often highly astute political commentary and visual puns is easy to read. It is enough to satisfy even those for whom art should consist of a “proper picture of something”.</p> <p>It also lends itself very well to reproduction and copying. I actually have a mug emblazoned with Banksy style rats sitting on my desk as I write. This is what happens when an iconoclast becomes an icon. What started out as a practice that deliberately subverted the concept of art as an exclusive, costly investment, has now become just as commodified as the latest piece by <a href="https://www.theartstory.org/artist-hirst-damien.htm">Damien Hirst</a>.</p> <h2>Banksy’s bankability</h2> <p>I’m personally on the fence about some of Banksy’s more recent work. I’m completely on board with the political nature of the imagery and most definitely share a lot of his ideological sentiments, but there is a degree to which he is becoming a parody of himself. For example, while it’s easy to appreciate the point he was making with the recently auctioned self-destructing drawing “<a href="https://theconversation.com/banksy-i-was-in-the-room-when-his-painting-shredded-and-enhanced-his-brand-104660">Love is in the Bin</a>”, no one could convince me that he was unaware of the effect that the action would have on his bankability.</p> <p>Given he knows the impact his work can have, was it selfish of Banksy to impose this latest piece on the unsuspecting garage owner? Or was it an act of extreme philanthropy, bestowing on Port Talbot a gift that can be used either to benefit the individual or the community? He must have known that Lewis would be plagued with attention, and the inevitability of this imposed cultural responsibility must surely have at least crossed Banksy’s mind. </p> <p>Public art comes in many diverse forms, from the monumental statues commemorating historical figures, to the temporary and often illegal murals created by contemporary graffiti artists. My own practice is informed by an ethos of inclusion that places the nearby community at the centre of decisions about how it is created, themed and managed.</p> <p>Because of that philosophical background, I do find Banksy’s imposition of his work without regard for its effect on the local community to be irritatingly entitled. However, the <a href="https://www.theartstory.org/artist-banksy-artworks.htm">issues he highlights</a> such as the <a href="https://theartstack.com/artist/banksy/i-remember-when-all-this-was-trees">capitalist obsession with growth</a> over sustainability, and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/banksy-port-talbot-graffiti-wales-michael-sheen-steel-pollution-environment-a8692821.html">industrial air pollution</a> are relevant and important to a much wider community, so I appreciate that by using his fame to draw attention to them he is carrying out a form of community service.</p> <p>The Welsh government <a href="https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/banksy-collector-willing-pay-six-15656998">has since confirmed</a> it will be taking over security for the Port Talbot artwork, and is discussing the future of the piece. Whether by design or because he just isn’t interested in how the work is used, it’s part of Banksy’s artistic practice to leave the work to the mercy of others when it’s complete. However, it could be argued that he could have used <a href="https://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/close_look/how-does-banksy-make-money-or-a-lesson-in-art-market-economics-55352">some of his own money</a> to help protect the work, and mitigate against any grief <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46810787">he’s caused the garage owner</a>.</p> <p>I’d personally like to see the work sold, and the proceeds used to address some of the social and political issues that Banksy highlights with his work. It worked for Dennis Stinchcombe who, when a mural entitled Mobile Lovers appeared on the doorway of his Bristol youth club in 2014, sold the work and used the funds <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46810787">to save the struggling organisation</a>. </p> <p>Whatever happens now, one thing is certain: Banksy certainly knows how to get his work in the news.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/banksy-who-should-foot-the-bill-to-protect-his-work-in-public-spaces-109831" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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Banksy in Ukraine: how his defiant new works offer hope

<p>Art, in all its forms, has always been a powerful means of representing, resisting and remembering war. And the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraine-recap-poland-missile-scare-a-timely-reminder-of-how-dangerous-this-war-is-for-everyone-194873">Russo-Ukrainian War</a> is no different, with artists responding powerfully to Russian aggression through <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90754784/how-ukrainian-artists-are-resisting-russias-war">an explosion of artwork</a>drawing attention to, and reinforcing, the resilience of Ukrainian people and culture.</p> <p>A stream of artwork has been <a href="https://www.instagram.com/artists.support.ukraine/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=79e6c95a-0a13-4ea9-a4d8-b24ed292d6b2">posted on Instagram</a> and Twitter. Some of the artworks represent grief and trauma, whereas others reflect <a href="https://war.ukraine.ua/articles/how-art-became-a-mirror-of-ukrainian-resistance/">“the fire of hope and defiance that comes with such tragedy.”</a></p> <p>International artists have also joined in the effort. On November 11, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/banksy-7818">graffiti artist</a>Banksy <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck1bqL6MsMu/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=">posted a picture</a> to his Instagram of a gymnast doing a handstand, painted on the side of a building devastated by shelling in Borodyanka, Ukraine.</p> <p>A few days later, Banksy <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/11/14/banksy-in-ukraine-seven-new-works-appear-in-war-torn-sites">confirmed</a> that he was responsible for six other artworks in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine, one of which appeared to take aim at Russian president Vladimir Putin, depicting him being thrown by a child in a judo match. It is not much of a stretch to interpret the child as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.</p> <p>Banksy’s other works are shown in a video posted to Instagram (above) accompanied by a soundtrack of women singing Ukrainian folk music. They show children playing on a seesaw made from part of a tank, a bombed out transport truck, a man taking a bath and a woman in a dressing gown donning a gas mask and holding a fire extinguisher.</p> <p>Ukrainian messages of thanks and solidarity were posted to Banksy’s Instagram in response.</p> <h2>Russia’s war on culture</h2> <p>The destruction of culture and cultural heritage has been among the <a href="https://t.me/mkipu/3093">many alleged crimes</a> committed by Russia in Ukraine. In July 2022, <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-mission-ukraine-assesses-impact-war-culture-sector">Unesco reported</a>damage to over 164 cultural sites including religious sites, museums, historic buildings, buildings dedicated to cultural activities, monuments and libraries.</p> <p>As with so many aspects of the war, this reverberates with the Yugoslav War, where the searing image of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27353635">the destruction of the national library</a> in Sarajevo and its two million books and artefacts in August 1992 was one of the most iconic of the war.</p> <p>An early cultural casualty in Ukraine was the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60588885">Babyn Yar memorial park</a> in Kyiv, believed to have been directly targeted by Russian forces as part of an erasure of Ukrainian history and culture.</p> <p>In response, <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-funds-7-projects-support-artists-ukraine">Unesco committed</a> to the protection of cultural property as a priority. That commitment was based on the conviction that: “Culture is an essential public good for society, and access to cultural life is a basic universal human right.”</p> <p>While art alone cannot change the dynamics or the course of the war in Ukraine, it <a href="https://beyond.ubc.ca/kent-monkman-exhibition/">can play an important role</a> in reinforcing and demonstrating the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjDHkWKt9Ea/">resilience of cultural life</a>. Whether or not it can also play a role in building peace and fostering reconciliation depends on its protection.</p> <h2>Unesco responds to threats to Ukrainian culture</h2> <p>In September, <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-funds-7-projects-support-artists-ukraine?hub=365">Unesco announced</a> a joint initiative with the Ukrainian NGO Museum of Contemporary Art “to encourage the continuation of artistic creation and access to cultural life in Ukraine”.</p> <p><a href="https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2022/09/Ukraine%20and%20MOCA_7%20finalists_Brief%20information.pdf">The fund will</a> initially disburse a total of US$100,000 (£84,000) from the Unesco Heritage Emergency Fund to support seven projects, with ten more to follow. The projects were selected from an open call and include residencies and support for displaced Ukrainian artists in Dnipro and Kharkiv.</p> <p>Unesco described their support of Ukrainian artists as “vital for preserving artistic expression as a basis for social cohesion, community resilience, and our common goal – fighting for freedom and democratic values”.</p> <h2>What role does art play in war?</h2> <p>All of this points to important questions about the <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/03/21/art-in-a-time-of-war">role of art and the responsibility of artists</a> in times of war, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21624887.2021.1875711">artistic representation</a> of war and its horrors, <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315723211/political-street-art-holly-eva-ryan">art and the politics of resistance</a> and the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/art-aesthetics-justice-and-reconciliation-what-can-art-do/8965A016EB04B26925F6CF16E1BF65B0">potential role of art</a> in building peace and fostering reconciliation.</p> <p>As historian <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=3ChLAQAACAAJ&amp;dq=War+and+Art,+Reaktion+Books,&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=1&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwinntjpoLX7AhWFYcAKHRFgC0wQ6AF6BAgCEAI">Joanna Bourke observed</a> in her book War and Art, art is intrinsically political, whether deliberately so or not. Artists make choices about how they represent war, often invoking “both the bitterness and the vulnerability of modern war”.</p> <p>Banksy’s artwork in Ukraine draws our eye to the devastation wrought by the Russian invasion. By being painted on bombed out buildings, the images reflect how the experience of war disrupt the everyday, juxtaposing the mundane with the extraordinary – a woman in curlers and a dressing gown also wears a gas mask, children play on a tank trap seesaw.</p> <p>Banksy’s intervention was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/banksy-ukraine-mural-in-town-bombed-by-russia/">warmly welcomed</a> by Ukrainians, “hailed as a symbol of their country’s invincibility” as part of a wider Ukrainian effort to leverage art as a powerful <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/23/the-artists-of-ukraine-find-their-voice-in-a-cry-of-resistance">site of resistance</a> and demonstration of resilience.</p> <p>The extent to which <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/the_art_of_peace_0419.pdf">art might be able to contribute to peace</a> and reconciliation is a question for later on. It seems quite far removed from the grief, anger and defiance evident in much of the artwork created to date.</p> <p>For now, as the response to Banksy’s artworks demonstrates, art in Ukraine serves as a site of expression, of solidarity and a symbol of resistance. As the Ukrainian government expressed, such works are not only <a href="https://war.ukraine.ua/articles/how-art-became-a-mirror-of-ukrainian-resistance/">“about blood, death, and destruction … but also – about love, support, and hope”.</a></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/banksy-in-ukraine-how-his-defiant-new-works-offer-hope-194952" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

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Banksy encourages stealing from luxury store after unauthorised use of his artwork

<p dir="ltr">Banksy has appeared to encourage shoplifters to target a luxury fashion store in London after they used his artwork without permission. </p> <p dir="ltr">The elusive street artist told his followers on Instagram to go to the Guess store in Regent Street to steal items after they “helped themselves” to one of his most iconic artworks for a recent campaign. </p> <p dir="ltr">Posting a photo of the front window display of the store, he wrote, “Attention all shoplifters. Please go to GUESS on Regent Street.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“They’ve helped themselves to my artwork without asking, how can it be wrong for you to do the same to their clothes?” he told his 11.5 million followers. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Guess display, which showcased their capsule collection called Brandalised, features several of Banksy’s works, which he claims were used without his authorisation. </p> <p dir="ltr">The clothing company’s <a href="https://guess-hub.mmbsy.be/guess-in-partnership-with-brandalised-to-create-a-special-capsule-collection-with-graffiti-by-banksy">official announcement</a> for the capsule collection used the word “inspired” and said the items were produced in partnership with Brandalised, an urban graffiti license “whose mission is to offer Banksy fans affordable graffiti collectibles.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“The graffiti of Bansky has had a phenomenal influence that resonates throughout popular culture,” Guess Chief Creative Officer Paul Marciano said in the press release. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This new capsule collection with Brandalised is a way for fashion to show its gratitude.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After Banksy posted the message on Instagram, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63682298">the BBC reported</a> that Guess closed the store, put security outside, and covered the window display.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram / Getty Images</em></p>

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Banksy unveils new works on destroyed buildings in Ukraine

<p dir="ltr">Banksy has unveiled a series of new artworks on the side of partially destroyed buildings in war-torn Ukraine. </p> <p dir="ltr">The elusive street artist created seven artworks in towns surrounding Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, with Banksy confirming to <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/11/14/banksy-in-ukraine-seven-new-works-appear-in-war-torn-sites?utm_source=CNN&amp;utm_medium=article">The Art Newspaper</a> that the works did come from him.</p> <p dir="ltr">The first artwork to be identified, which quickly went viral online, shows a female gymnast balancing on a pile of rubble on the side of a building damaged by Russian strikes.</p> <p dir="ltr">The graffiti artist posted three images of the piece Friday on social media, with a simple caption reading "Borodyanka, Ukraine" — an alternative spelling for the town's name.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck1bqL6MsMu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck1bqL6MsMu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Another artwork depicts a little boy, wearing a martial arts uniform tied with a black belt, flipping a grown man onto his back. </p> <p dir="ltr">Some have connected the image to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose honorary black belt was revoked earlier this year by World Taekwondo, though Banksy has not publicly commented on the image or its meaning.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other murals showed two children using a metal tank trap as a seesaw, and a woman in hair curlers and a gas mask holding a fire extinguisher.</p> <p dir="ltr">The series is the first set of Banksy artworks to pop up since last summer's <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/banksy-goes-on-a-mural-making-spree-in-england">Great British Spraycation</a>, which saw the enigmatic artist leave behind his signature pop art commentary at sites across a number of British coastal towns.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4011fe22-7fff-3d44-d552-cc3f8ddaaa08"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Banksy the dog recreates paintings of his namesake

<p dir="ltr">A rescue dog named after the elusive street artist Banksy has recreated his famous works to raise $1,000 for charity. </p><p dir="ltr">Seven works were created by Banksy the dog, who uses his nose and paws to recreate the iconic pieces. </p><p dir="ltr">The money raised is going to the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, which Banksy has called home since August 2021. </p><p dir="ltr">Spokeswoman Gina Jones said, "We're absolutely thrilled. The money will make a big difference to the lives of vulnerable animals in our care."</p><p dir="ltr">As well as helping to raise money for the rescue centre, Banksy’s art has been part of an appeal to find his forever home.</p><p dir="ltr">The seven artworks were auctioned off on the centre’s Facebook page, with the dog’s recreation of <em>Good Panda</em> drawing in the biggest bid of $230.</p><p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/banksy-dog-1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Bristol Animal Rescue Centre</em></p><p dir="ltr">Ms Jones said that even though Banksy the dog’s works have been auctioned off, he just keeps painting. </p><p dir="ltr">"He just keeps going and going, he loves spreading the paint around," she said.</p><p dir="ltr">"I think he secretly really enjoys the attention," she said. </p><p dir="ltr">"When we had some cameras in, he's like 'yes, you may film me'. He's really come out of his shell."</p><p dir="ltr">Staff at the rescue centre said that with all the attention his art is getting, they hope he will be able to find a new home after being at the centre for an “unusually long amount of time”.</p><p dir="ltr">"We've had a few expressions of interests and we are still going through the adoption process with everybody," Ms Jones said. </p><p dir="ltr">"Obviously we do check for everyone who applies that it is a suitable home for him... and we are really hopefully we will find somebody great and get him that forever home."</p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Bristol Animal Rescue Centre</em></p>

Art

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New artwork appears over existing Banksy art

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A mysterious artwork has appeared on the wall of a house in Bristol that once showcased an original Banksy work before it was vandalised. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original artwork, which shows a girl firing a slingshot of flowers, appeared on Valentine’s Day in 2020 and was subsequently vandalised. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The destruction of the piece prompted the owners of the house to cover up the ruined work, and encase the untouched flower explosion in a glass case to prevent any further damage. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, a new tag has appeared on the wall that shows a man in a balaclava attempting to pry away the covering with a crowbar.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846891/banksy-bristol.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/78080f293fda4bbfa32b94145cb127e7" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original artwork appeared on Valentine’s Day 2020. Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the new work being in Banksy’s signature street art style, the work featured a tag of the word “Pouchy”, leaving locals to wonder if the new work is Banksy’s at all, or the work of a copycat artist.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy has yet to claim the piece online. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the piece was originally vandalised and covered up, Banksy </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">himself released a statement in which he said he was “kind of glad” the artwork was vandalised as he released a series of “better” sketches of it. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram @damianjvcunningham</span></em></p>

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13 strangest unsolved mysteries of the art world

<p><strong>Did Leonardo da Vinci really paint Salvator Mundi?</strong></p> <p><span>The painting, Salvator Mundi, sold at Christie’s in 2017 for an eye-popping $450 million, in large part because it was attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. But some art experts, including Oxford art historian Matthew Landrus, believe that only 20 percent of the painting was completed by Leonardo himself. </span></p> <p><span>Citing artistic details and painting techniques evident in the brushwork, Landrus suspects the rest of the painting was done by Leonardo’s assistant, Bernardino Luini. Bernardino’s work has never fetched more than $654,545. </span></p> <p><span>Adding fuel to the fire, it’s thought that da Vinci completed a mere 15 paintings in his lifetime.</span></p> <p><strong>Are these watercolours really by Adolf Hitler?</strong></p> <p><span>Even though Adolf Hitler was rejected from art school, he did quite a bit of painting in his youth. And there are people in the world who’d pay good money (anywhere from $150 to $51,000) to acquire the artistic efforts of der Führer, art being subjective after all. </span></p> <p><span>But recently, German prosecutors confiscated 63 paintings signed “A. Hitler” on suspicion of forgery. The jury is out (figuratively) on their authenticity, and verification is apparently extremely challenging.</span></p> <p><strong>The scandalous death of Joseph Boehm</strong></p> <p><span>Sir Joseph Boehm was a prolific Victorian-age sculptor credited with, among other things, creating the British Victoria-head coin. In 1890, at the age of 56, Boehm died suddenly of a stroke in his studio, but he wasn’t alone when he died. </span></p> <p><span>He was with Queen Victoria’s sixth daughter, Princess Louise, a sculptor herself. Many believe his death occurred in the midst of a sexual encounter with Louise. Historians, including Lucinda Hawksley, author of <em>Queen Victoria’s Mysterious Daughter: A Biography of Princess Louise</em>, believe Louise and Joseph had been engaged in a long-time affair.</span></p> <p><strong>The shooting death of Vincent Van Gogh</strong></p> <p><span>Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh died at age 37 as a result of a gunshot wound at close range, and although it’s long been assumed the emotionally unstable artist committed suicide, there’s always been debate as to whether he was actually shot by a 16-year-old schoolboy. </span></p> <p><span>The movie <em>At Eternity’s Gate</em>, starring Willem Dafoe as the tortured artist, argues that it was not suicide, but it also wasn’t murder, but rather an unfortunate accident, a view put forth by others, including forensic expert, Dr Vincent Di Maio.</span></p> <p><strong>What's the David sculpture holding in his right hand?</strong></p> <p><span>Michelangelo Buonarroti sculpted the magnificent David with a sling in his left hand, leading to the presumption Michelangelo envisioned the biblical figure as a lefty. </span></p> <p><span>But some experts believe David’s right hand tells the more important story: it is disproportionately oversized, which some speculate is a nod to David’s having been “strong of hand.” </span></p> <p><span>And some point to the bulging veins in the hand and surmise David is gripping something tightly, which may or may not be another weapon.</span></p> <p><strong>Why did Caravaggio kill?</strong></p> <p><span>The artist, Caravaggio, was known as a troublemaker. For starters, in 1596, he killed another man during a brawl in Rome. </span></p> <p><span>No one knows what led to the brawl, although possibilities include money, sports, and romantic jealousy, but what’s even more mysterious is whether Caravaggio spent the rest of his life expressing his guilt through his paintings, some of which art historians believe contain thinly veiled confessions. </span></p> <p><span>These include his painting of the murder of St. John the Baptist and his depiction of a despondent Goliath as Caravaggio himself.</span></p> <p><strong>Was Caravaggio the victim of lead poisoning?</strong></p> <p><span>But maybe his violent tendencies weren’t Caravaggio’s fault exactly; maybe, just maybe, he was a victim of lead poisoning, which is known to cause changes to the nervous system. </span></p> <p><span>This position is supported by scientists who analysed his bones and determined with 85 percent certainty that Caravaggio had enough lead in his system to make him behave erratically and to ultimately cause his death. </span></p> <p><span>If this is true, the lead most likely came from the paints Caravaggio was using, especially since he was notoriously messy with them.</span></p> <p><strong>Did Rembrandt reveal a murder plot in one of his paintings?</strong></p> <p><span>Rembrandt’s painting, <em>The Night Watch</em>, depicts a civilian militia rousing to action in the middle of the night. But some, including the director and artist, Peter Greenaway, believe the painting is “really an exposé of a murder – of one officer by another.” </span></p> <p><span>It’s a theory he supports with 20 points – all visual and based on the painting – in his films, <em>Night Watching</em> and <em>Rembrandt J’Accuse</em>.</span></p> <p><strong>Who is the man hidden under Picasso's <em>The Blue Room</em>?</strong></p> <p>In 2014, scientists announced they found, hidden beneath the surface of Pablo Picasso’s The Blue Room, a portrait of a man wearing a bow tie, his chin resting on his hand.</p> <p>It’s not all that unusual for an artist to reuse a canvas, but what’s mysterious is the identity of the man. Some speculate he might be the art dealer who hosted Picasso’s first show in 1901 (Ambroise Vollard). What’s known for sure is that it is not a self-portrait.</p> <p><strong>Is there another woman hidden beneath the Mona Lisa?</strong></p> <p><span>In 2017, French scientist Pascal Cotte revealed he’d discovered the hidden image of a woman beneath the surface of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. </span></p> <p><span>It had taken him more than a decade of examination and analysis and has led to speculation about who the woman might be. Cotte has said it’s another woman from Florence, Pacifica Brandano. But not only is the jury out on that, not all experts even agree there’s actually a different woman depicted. </span></p> <p><span>Some believe what Cotte discovered is nothing more than a painter’s “first draft” of the finished product.</span></p> <p><strong>Who pulled off the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist?</strong></p> <p><span>In 1990, 13 works of art worth approximately $500 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in a robbery perpetrated by two men posing as law enforcement officers. </span></p> <p><span>“Despite some promising leads in the past, the… theft…remains unsolved,” the Museum states on its website. In fact, the Museum is offering a $10 million reward for information leading directly to the recovery of the art, plus a separate reward of $100,000 for the return of one specific piece.</span></p> <p><strong>Where is the missing art from the Rotterdam heist?</strong></p> <p><span>In 2012, thieves broke into the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam and made off with seven paintings, including works by Picasso, Monet and Gauguin. </span></p> <p><span>Four Romanian men were arrested and convicted of the theft in 2013, but no one knows what happened to the stolen artworks. The mother of one of the thieves confessed to burning the paintings but then retracted her confession. </span></p> <p><span>In 2018, someone planted a very realistic looking Picasso-esque painting beneath a rock in a forest in Romania, but it was discovered to be fake. The paintings remain missing.</span></p> <p><strong>Who is Banksy?</strong></p> <p><span>The artist, Banksy, has been around since the early 1990s, creating striking and highly recognisable street art in public places. </span></p> <p><span>Y</span><span>et their identity remains a mystery. Who is Banksy? “Over the years several different people have attempted to ‘unmask’ Banksy,” writes Artnet, in its 2016 analysis of ten popular theories, to which street artist Carlo McCormick, contributed his own opinions (could he be Banksy?).</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/uncategorized/13-strangest-unsolved-mysteries-of-the-art-world?pages=1" target="_blank">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

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Banksy offers to turn unused prison into an arts centre

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy has offered to raise over $18 million in order to buy a prison in the UK which was adorned with an artwork created by the street artist earlier this year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Developers had originally planned to turn the HMP Reading into apartments, but the plans for the heritage-listed site fell through.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now back on the market for the hefty price, Banksy has offered to raise the funds by selling the stencil he used to paint a mural on the wall in March 2021. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The stencil has an estimated value of between $18 million and $28 million, and will be sold privately, as opposed to being sold at auction. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy’s generous offer is contingent on the site being used as an arts complex, in line with a $4.8 million bid made by Reading Borough Council last year which was rejected by the Ministry of Justice.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking to the</span> <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/banksy-sketches-out-10m-plan-to-free-oscar-wildes-prison-from-developers-2s70c86p9"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunday Times</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Banksy said, “I had very little interest in Reading until I was on a rail replacement bus service that went past the jail.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It's rare to find an uninterrupted 500m-long paintable surface slap bang in the middle of a town; I literally clambered over the passenger next to me to get a closer look.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I promised myself I'd paint the wall even before I knew what it was. I'm passionate about it now, though.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said, “Oscar Wilde is the patron saint of smashing two contrasting ideas together to create magic. Converting the place that destroyed him into a refuge for art feels so perfect we have to do it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy has only sold one of his stencils before, making it his rarest art form. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Christopher Walken destroys $20million Banksy artwork

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An original Banksy artwork has been painted over by Hollywood royalty Christopher Walken while filming his new TV show. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 78-year-old actor erased the artwork, which is estimated to be worth $20million, as part of a scene of the new comedy drama show </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Outlaws</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The elusive street artist Banksy had painted the images of a rat holding two spray cans specifically for the  upcoming BBC series, which is set in his home city. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, it’s claimed that the mysterious artist had collaborated with the show bosses for the stunt. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The six-part series follows a group of misfits who are tasked with renovating a derelict community centre in Bristol as part of a community service sentence. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A spokesperson for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Outlaws</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> confirmed, “We can confirm that the artwork at the end of <em>The Outlaws</em> was an original Banksy, and that Christopher Walken painted over that artwork during the filming of this scene, ultimately destroying it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The wrecking of the artwork was seemingly agreed upon by Bristol-native Banksy, who is reportedly a big fan of Christopher Walken, and admired the fact that Stephen Merchant, a fellow Bristonlian, was showcasing the city. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A source told </span><a href="https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/tv/4041091/banksy-artwork-destroyed-outlaws/">The Sun</a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “The creative team came up with the dream scenario and got in touch with the artist’s representatives in the faint hope that he might help them.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Then they discovered shortly afterwards that he’d been to the location where they were filming and left something behind. They couldn’t believe their luck as he’d painted a giant rat using his hallmark stencilling technique as well as his distinctive signature.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They added, “His only stipulation was that they really did paint over it — and it would be his hero Christopher holding the roller.”  </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Check out the trailer for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Outlaws</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> below:</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k_-6-hYP7Dk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Banksy’s shredded work sells for 300 percent over estimated price

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">British street artist Banksy has reappeared in the headlines after his painting that shredded itself after it sold for $US 1.4 million ($AUD 1.9 million or $NZD 1.98 million)  has been sold again, this time for an even greater sum.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Love is in the Bin</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, formerly known as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Girl With Balloon</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/world/shredded-banksy-artwork-sells-at-auction-c-4240790" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">was sold</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for $USD 25 million ($AUD 33.71 million or $NZD 35.37 million) at Sotheby’s in London.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With a pre-sale estimate of 4 to 6 million pounds ($AUD 7.4-11.0 million or $NZD 7.75-11.52 million), the work was sold for more than three times its estimated price.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The artwork consists of a half-shredded canvas depicting a spray-painted image of a girl reaching for a heart-shaped balloon, with half of the piece still in one piece within an ornate gold frame.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844914/banksy1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9a381196478843a3bd62b6f88e30edcb" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @Sotheby’s / Instagram</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the artwork was first sold at Sotheby’s in 2018, a shredder embedded in the frame started tearing it just as the winning bid was made.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy later implied that the work was supposed to be turned entirely into scraps, but didn’t due to a malfunction.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sotheby’s said the work created by the stunt is “the ultimate Banksy artwork”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was a big moment because nothing like that had been done before,” art historian Matthew Israel told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">CNN </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">in an earlier email interview.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bokt2sEhlsu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bokt2sEhlsu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The self-destructing artwork was “entirely at odds with the aims of the auction house, where the condition of an artwork is paramount and the knowledge and expertise about it is core to its authority and value”, he explained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The most recent auction took the artist’s record for the highest sale price, beating the sale of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Game Changer</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> last year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That artwork sold for 16.7 million ($AUD 31 million or $NZD 32.47 million) to benefit UK hospitals, with the piece depicting healthcare workers as superheroes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the identity of the new owner of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Love is in the Bin</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has not been revealed, Sotheby’s described the person as a female collector from Europe with a long-standing history with the auction house.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The buyer can also choose to pay for the work in cryptocurrency.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Money & Banking

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Iconic shredded Banksy artwork returns to auction

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2018, Banksy’s iconic </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Girl With a Balloon</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> artwork was sold for just over $1million at an auction in London. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Immediately after the auctioneer's hammer dropped and the sale went through, a shredder built into the frame destroyed half of the image. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, three years later, the damaged artwork is returning to auction with an estimated cost of roughly $6million with a new title of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Love is in the Bin</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The artwork has been certified by Banksy’s authentication committee called Pest Control, and confirmed that the inflated price is due to the viral moment at the auction three years prior. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The elusive street artist has long denied any claims that the auction house in London was behind the stunt, as the winning bid for the work in 2018 decided to keep the shredded artwork in its new form. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since winning the image, the image has gone on view at two museums in Germany, both boasting massive crowds coming to view the artwork. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a press release, Sotheby’s auction house likened the daring stunt to Robert Rauschenberg’s famed 1953 work, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Erased de Kooning</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, as part of a tradition of destroying artworks as an artistic statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s senior director and chairman of modern and contemporary art, said, “Today this piece is considered heir to a venerated legacy of anti-establishment art that began with Dada and Marcel Duchamp more than a century ago.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy shared an image of the artwork getting destroyed at the auction with the cheeky caption reading, “Going, going, gone…”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The destruction of the artwork in such a public setting made global headlines, with many art critics saying it was a social statement to the ownership of art. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Love is in the Bin</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> will go on public display at the same auction house where it was once destroyed, before travelling around the world and returning to London for sale. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Fake Banksy print sold on the artist’s website for over $450,000

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A hacker has been forced to return over $450,000AUD to a British art collector after he tricked him into purchasing a fake Banksy print. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The NFT (non-fungible token) print was posted on Banksy’s official website, fooling many fans of the elusive street artist. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The auction of the print ended early after the art collector offered 90% of rival bidders. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy’s team spoke to the </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58399338"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BBC</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and assured art fans that, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">"any Banksy NFT auctions are not affiliated with the artist in any shape or form."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NFT’s are a relatively new phenomenon in the art world, which show artworks that can be “tokenised” to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought and sold. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They often don’t give the buyer the actual artwork of copyright, but are seen as more of an investment. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The man who got duped by the site believed he was buying Banksy’s first ever NFT. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The man, who wished to remain anonymous, explained over Twitter that he suspected Banksy’s official site was hacked and that he was the victim of an elaborate scam. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hacker returned all the money, with the exception of $9,000AUD transaction fee once he was caught out. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The prominent NFT collector used the online name Pranksy, and said the whole experience was bizarre but that the hacker may have got scared.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The refund was totally unexpected, I think the press coverage of the hack plus the fact that I had found the hacker and followed him on Twitter may have pushed him into a refund. “</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I feel very lucky when a lot of others in a similar situation with less reach would not have had the same outcome," he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The NFT was called Great Distribution of the Climate Change Disaster, and is not linked to the famous street artist.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Banksy</span></em></p>

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Banksy goes on a mural-making spree in England

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The elusive street artist Banksy has been producing works in secret along the east coast of England.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His latest project, the Great British Spraycation, has seen a series of his murals pop up throughout the country displaying his signature style.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The anonymous artist took to his Instagram to share news of his project, focusing on his travels in a campervan.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CShWMUwFKkI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CShWMUwFKkI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first of the murals, featuring a couple dancing on top of a bus shelter and a man playing an accordion, was spotted in Norfolk by eagle-eyed fans.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The second artwork shows an arcade toy-grabber crane that appeared in a small town just 10 minutes away from the first mural. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More artworks, one depicting a child building a sandcastle with a crowbar, the other featuring three children in a boat, soon arrived in the neighbouring county of Suffolk. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an unusual move for the artist, Banksy also left a miniature thatched stable bearing his signature at the Merrivale Model Village.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His short film posted to Instagram brought attention to his more wholesome artworks, such as an ice cream cone and tongue added to a statue of Frederick Savage, a 19th century mayor of King’s Lynn.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One critical passerby is captured in the video, calling one of his mural’s “mindless vandalism”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of his artworks from the Great British Spraycation, which depicted two children on an inflatable dinghy, has already been removed by local authorities, claiming it was distasteful.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Council members in the town of Great Yarmouth told the BBC that the artwork was covered up amid “sensitivity” to a young girl who died after being flung from an inflatable trampoline on a nearby beach in 2018. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Banksy pandemic painting sells for record amount

<p><span>Banksy has achieved something not many others can claim by raking in an incredible £16.8 million ($30.18 million) for Britain’s frontline workers during an auction.</span><br /><br /><span>After selling an artwork, Christie’s auction house has said the sale would be used to fund health organisations and charities across the UK.</span><br /><br /><span>The work titled "Game Changer", features a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy while Batman and Spider-Man figurines lay in a rubbish bin next to him.</span><br /><br /><span>The picture appeared on a wall at Southampton General Hospital in southern England in May of 2020.</span><br /><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840433/banksy.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/cb3d9e75e6144335be3ff1f5530cf8d1" /><br /><span>The hospital said Banksy had left a note for workers that read: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only black and white."</span><br /><br /><span>The sale price was a world auction record for Banksy and Christie’s, the auction house said it will donate a "significant portion" of the buyer's premium to health organisations.</span><br /><br /><span>"Banksy is an extraordinary artist who is a constant barometer of nationwide sentiment," said Katharine Arnold, who runs the European post-war and contemporary art era at the auction house.</span><br /><br /><span>"With the perfect image of a little boy playing with his superhero doll, a nurse sporting the international Red Cross, he perfectly captured the essence of this moment in time."</span></p>

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