Banksy's Revealed Artwork Vanishes Within Minutes of Online Debut
Banksy's latest artwork, unveiled on Instagram, was swiftly taken down from a London street, adding to the artist's mystique and leaving art enthusiasts yearning for a glimpse of his thought-provoking creation
A recent piece by Banksy was apparently taken down from a London street not long after the artist shared it on Instagram. The unnamed artist shared several photos of the piece - three drones on a stop sign - on social media on Friday around midday local time (7 a.m. ET).
At 12:30 p.m., witnesses told the PA Media news agency that two men were observed using bolt cutters to remove a sign from a junction in Peckham, southeast London. "I opened Instagram and saw the post was made just four minutes before. I was about to go on my lunch break. When I arrived, there were about two people there. We were all admiring it and taking pictures," 26-year-old Alex recounted to PA.
"This guy came up and grabbed it, and we watched in awe as he bashed it," Alex recalled. The man was unable to remove the sign using his hands, so he left and returned a few minutes later with bolt cutters.
"We asked him what he was doing, but no one really knew what to do. We just sort of watched it happen. We were all a bit bewildered," the witness continued.
The man appeared to take the sign away.
Aaron Chown/AP
"He ripped it off and ran across the road and ran away. He said nothing. He didnt seem to care that much about the art itself," added Alex.
Another unnamed witness expressed disappointment that the sign had been removed, stating, "It is strange, these pieces of art are nice, it would be nice if it had stayed there for a while."
Banksy mural worth over $1.2m lost as building demolished
PA reported that Banksy himself is not thought to be behind the removal of the artwork.
The enigmatic artist is known to share his creations on social media without offering any additional commentary. Many have viewed his most recent piece as a plea for a peace agreement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, as Banksy is an advocate for the Palestinian cause.
The artist is the owner of a hotel in Bethlehem, situated near the imposing separation barrier in the occupied West Bank. At an auction, three paintings by Banksy raise $2.9 million for a Palestinian hospital.
In 2017, Banksy launched the Walled Off Hotel to bring awareness to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, branding it as the hotel with the "worst view in the world." Despite the increasing market value of his art, Banksy persists in creating pieces in public areas that are challenging to preserve and are susceptible to theft or vandalism.
Banksy's famous mural "Spy Booth," which depicts three secret agents surrounding a phone booth with recording equipment, was destroyed in 2016. Similarly, an abandoned freezer that was part of a Banksy artwork in the English town of Margate was taken away just hours after Banksy confirmed it as his in February this year.
The artist made headlines in 2018 when his painting of a girl with a red balloon self-destructed just moments after being sold at auction for $1.4 million. CNN's Lianne Kolirin, Zeena Saifi and Nadeem Muaddi were contributors to this report.
