UNITED KINGDOM: British street artist Banksy calls new exhibition of his artwork 'disgusting'

Record ID: 565356

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: British street artist Banksy calls new exhibition of his artwork 'disgusting'
  • Date: 25th April 2014
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT-MARCH 26, 2014) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) TONY BAXTER, DIRECTOR SINCURA GROUP, ON RESTORING 'BALLOON GIRL', SAYING: "If we wouldn't have taken it off the wall, it would be gone. If we didn't get involved in this piece in two years time the piece would have disappeared. There're no two ways about it. Yet we did get involved in the piece and yes it is gonna be sold as big game hunting. But what we, what we ensure is that a donation will be made to charity and we ensure that in a hundred times this piece is still alive."
  • Embargoed: 10th May 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Entertainment,General
  • Reuters ID: LVAC5KRMHEC4RMRSRK3AG5PVG1N7
  • Story Text: The reclusive British street artist Banksy has disassociated himself from an exhibition of his urban art murals that have been removed from walls and are to be auctioned off in London.
    Among the seven works said to be included in the sale organised by the Sincura Group are "Berlin Door", "No Ball Games", "Liverpool Rat" and "Girl With Balloon".
    In a statement posted on www.banksy.co.uk, the artist, who has kept his identity a closely guarded secret and often paints his wall murals in the dead of night, said he had no connection with the sale.
    "The 'Stealing Banksy' exhibition in London this weekend has been organised without the involvement or consent of the artist. Banksy would like to make it clear - This show has got nothing to do with me and I think it's disgusting people are allowed to go around displaying art on walls without getting permission," the statement said.
    Author of 'Banksy: The Man Behind The Wall', Will Ellsworth-Jones who came to the exhibition to view the pieces had this to say: "Yeah, he's never done it. He won't authenticate this work although we know it's via Banksy. There's no doubt about that but he won't give it his signature which would -- increase the value. It's not something he wants at all and he wouldn't consider doing it himself."
    The exhibition and sale have been organised by the Sincura Group, which is charging admission to see the works and says an auction using online and sealed bids will conclude on Sunday (April 27).
    During a teaser preview of the upcoming auction earlier in March, where two salvaged works, 'Sperm Alarm', and '2 Rats', were put on display, Tony Baxter, the director of Sincura Group, explained the idea behind the salvage operation and auction.
    "The long and short of it is this. We don't go round to these walls, we don't go round and entice people to take these off the walls. We've never ever approached a single person to take a Banksy off walls. The building owners come over to us. Now they've never asked for these pieces to be painted on the walls. By having a Banksy on your wall you run the real risk of having a grade two listing put on your building, which deflates your value, which means you can't re-sell your property. You also have a lot of unwanted press surrounding your property. Lots of these people don't want them, they've never asked for these pieces to be put on the walls."
    While Baxter acknowledges some concerns about the removal of streetart from their intended place, he argues the company's work does offer the pieces' survival in the long term. Such is the case with Banksy's famous stencil image of a girl with her balloon, he says, which has been restored and will be offered at Sunday's sale for around GBP 500,000 ($831,000). "If we wouldn't have taken it off the wall, it would be gone. If we didn't get involved in this piece in two years time the piece would have disappeared. There're no two ways about it. Yet we did get involved in the piece and yes it is gonna be sold as big game hunting. But what we, what we ensure is that a donation will be made to charity and we ensure that in a hundred times this piece is still alive," he said.
    The company says profits from the sale will go to local charities as well as the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund UK in an effort to have the communities from which these artworks were taken from benefit from it.
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