ART THIEVES HAUL WALL

[hankpank]

From www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=exclusive--art-thieves-haul-wall&method=full&objectid=18062136&siteid=94762-name_page.html

8 November 2006
EXCLUSIVE: ART THIEVES HAUL WALL
By Laurie Hanna
RATS... thieves stole graffiti by street artist Banksy after cutting it out of a concrete wall with a grinder.

The image of a rat playing with a ball had been stencilled under a "No Ball Games" sign in Paddington, West London.

Banksy's depiction of a couple in deep sea divers' helmets sold for £62,400 last month - but a source said: "I'd be surprised if a collector stumped up for a block of concrete."

Police believe one gang of thieves is responsible for stealing at least 20 public works by various artists during the past year.

[Jonny Breaks]

always going to happen but who's gonna pay 60k+ for it?

[Curley]

Its a sad fact but i'm not suprised the way prices are rising. Everyone wants a piece of the Banksy pie
There has always been a market for stolen art and it will be in someones gallery by now.
There are a few more i've seen that i'm suprised are actually still there.

[Daniel Silk]

I bet people are looking at the Banksy Location Map and a searching out the easiest ones to pinch I bet Banksy ain't too happy about this it seems like everyone is out to clean off or pinch his street work

[andrewd]

just off out to Old Street with a some scaffold, grinders, rsjs and a couple of flat bed lorries, will let you know when I've liberated the giant rat in that car park!!!

[Curley]

That rat will eat you for breakfast.

[andrewd]

Nah I'll have it tamed in no time at all!!
Seems tht a lot of removable Banksys have long gone ( those on road signs, doors, bins etc ).
There is a precedent for walls being sold etc, the Berlin wall ( and the street art thereon ) was sold for £1,000s of pounds a section. Not sure if any Basquait wall was saved/sold.
As far as a collector is concerned the trouble with street art is that no one will give it provenance ( see Lazinc's website ). It's there to be enjoyed by all and long may that continue!

[Run Pig Run]

If there is a photo in wall and piece.....jobsagooden.
There's a gangsta rat near waterloo on a sort of large steel box owned by the newagents - i bet they would sell it for far less than your average banksy print.

[foundation]

long gone, a member here thought just that about 3 months ago, and missed it by a few days sold to someone else.

[Run Pig Run]

really, I have a photo of it!

[foundation]

might be a different box cover, remember seb going to try to get it, only to be told it was gone, dare say banksy has painted more than one metal box in his time, so you are most likely right BH

[Run Pig Run]

no, I mean i have a photo of it, but it is more than 3 months old.

[spence]

If the people who took the picture are called thieves, what would that make the council if they had got their powerwashers out and removed it ;D

[knox]

I've long been wondering how much added value to your property there is from having some recognised work on it.

[ratpack]

andrewd said:

just off out to Old Street with a some scaffold, grinders, rsjs and a couple of flat bed lorries, will let you know when I've liberated the giant rat in that car park!!!

Let me know if you want someone to hold the ladder. I am just round the corner and could nip out on my lunchbreak.

[HowAboutNo]

knox said:

I've long been wondering how much added value to your property there is from having some recognised work on it.

Well, some people obviously consider that there is none whatsoever.... This has been painted over since Saturday afternoon, painted over photo to follow.



Not that it would be all that easy to have removed it, I don't understand why they have painted it over, as the idiots have left half of it still showing!!

Surely, to a certain degree the council must realise that these pieces are only bringing people to the city, where they ordinarily wouldnt bother (Martin's tours a testament to that fact) yet the council buff sporadically (i.e. get rid of the highly desirable stuff and leave the shitty tags 90% of the time)

Makes me so angry!! Fair enough if they go hell for leather and clean it ALL up and make the place look tidier (certainly not better though!), but they dont, it's alwasy a half finished job that looks worse than what was there in the first place. But lets face it, all they then do is give them a fresh pallette to start all over again - especially in Shoreditch! Come back Banksy - respray this bad boy but just twice the bloody size on a nice fresh wall!! ;D

[BK83]

Absolutely ridiculous -- I mean -- how long has this Happy Choppers been there?! -- next we'll be hearing they have buffed the Shoreditch Trains!!!

[HowAboutNo]

jaypaav said:

Absolutely ridiculous -- I mean -- how long has this Happy Choppers been there?! -- next we'll be hearing they have buffed the Shoreditch Trains!!!

The Shoreditch trains will soon be completely removed....knocked the bridge down at the weekend in preparation for the East London Line.

[BK83]

Really! wow -- I was just there in Sept commenting to my friend on what a great visual it was for the area -- really cool! and with all the art as well -- quite liked it!

oh well -- "Nothing lasts forever"

J

[mido]

there are, and have been, loads of rats on metal newasgent boxes. still quite a few around.

The one seb mentioned is the one being sold on ebay at the moment.

bombhugger said:

If there is a photo in wall and piece.....jobsagooden.
There's a gangsta rat near waterloo on a sort of large steel box owned by the newagents - i bet they would sell it for far less than your average banksy print.

[numusic]

jaypaav said:

Really! wow -- I was just there in Sept commenting to my friend on what a great visual it was for the area -- really cool! and with all the art as well -- quite liked it!

oh well -- "Nothing lasts forever"

J

;D ;D ;D, a new avatar watch the respect points climb !

[andrewd]

mido said:

there are, and have been, loads of rats on metal newasgent boxes. still quite a few around.

The one seb mentioned is the one being sold on ebay at the moment.




It didn't sell as they were a little optimistic with the reserve!

[stingray]

From Metro online: www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=27335&in_page_id=34



Thieves dressed as builders caught stealing Banksy art
Thursday, November 30, 2006

Banksy's art work
A gang of thieves disguised as builders were foiled as they tried to steal part of a derelict building featuring the work of controversial graffiti artist Banksy.

The artwork, which shows a rat carrying a pot of paint and a red heart, is painted on a steel door of a property in Liverpool city centre.

The thieves struck as the value of the graffiti artist's work is soaring.

In October, one of Banksy's images sold at auction for £62,400 and Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has reportedly spent a total of £200,000 on his artwork.

The work which was almost stolen, which is known as Liverpool Love Rat, has not been valued yet.

Jane Mills, director of Jacaranda Developments which owns the derelict building, said: "These men just turned up dressed like builders and carrying tools.

"They tried to get the door off but it is very heavy and I think they were struggling.

"One of our cleaners spotted them and asked them what they were doing and they just ran off.

"It's a shame but we've had to move the door from public view and to a secret location because of this."

Ms Mills said she was now deciding what to do with the artwork following last month's attempted theft.

Bristolian Banksy has regularly courted controversy with a series of daring art projects.

Last year he targeted a security wall in Israel, creating nine stencil sprays on the Palestinian side of the West Bank barrier.

Previously Banksy has struck at high profile art galleries across the world.

He placed a painting of a can of Tesco value tomato soup and a woman wearing a gas mask in galleries in New York.

He also erected a 3.5-tonne bronze spoof of the Old Bailey's statue of Justice in thigh-high PVC boots and a suspender belt.

Last year the artist placed a hoax exhibit on display at the British Museum.

The painting entitled Early Man Goes to Market showed a cave painting of primitive man pushing a supermarket trolley.

[gordy]

Rock 'n' roll!!!! ;D ;D ;D

[LoveRat]

They dressed as buliders, carrying tools? No wonder they got caught ,they should have sat on their arses, drinking cups of tea . Much more convincing

[senna]

LOL ;Ddonuts!

[ajuk]

How are you supposed to saw into a wall and not get noticed?