yeah7
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January 2007
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Leicester Mercury - 21/04/07, by yeah7 on Apr 21, 2007 11:05:49 GMT 1, CHEERS BANKSY?
BY OLIVER WRIGHT
10:30 - 21 April 2007
A pub landlord could have a masterpiece painted on the wall of his bar - left by a notorious graffiti artist.
The acclaimed work of Banksy, whose spray can art can fetch thousands of pounds, often springs up in unusual places.
The Dry Dock, in Putney Road, off Welford Road, Leicester, appears to have a small piece by the popular, yet elusive artist on one of its walls.
The six by four inch image shows a rat with a CCTV camera strapped to its back above the artist's trademark Banksy signature.
The graffiti artist's work hit the headlines this week when London transport workers painted over one of his iconic murals - estimated to be worth more than ยฃ300,000.
Banksy is understood to have Leicester links and pub manager Mike Smith, 33, wonders if the graffiti in his bar is the real thing and worth a tidy sum.
"To be honest, I've never heard of the man and I was planning on painting over it but I didn't have the right colour paint," he said.
"I will be less inclined to get the paint brush out now especially if it is worth as much as some of his work.
"The design itself is not intrusive or offensive which is why I haven't acted sooner to remove it.
"Saying that, if I had caught him doing it he wouldn't have been coming in here again."
Banksy's notoriety has been growing over the past 10 years with a number of high profile stunts.
His work has appeared on the West Bank wall in Israel, the giraffe enclosure in Barcelona Zoo, and on the side of an Indian elephant.
He has even hung his own work in London's Tate Britain and the Museum of Modern Art, in New York.
Public opinion is split over whether his work is really art or just plain vandalism.
James Golding, director of the Leonard Street Gallery, in London, which deals in artwork by Banksy said: "Is this Art? Absolutely, without question, and in every sense of the word."
A piece of work by the guerilla graffiti artist recently sold for ยฃ102,000 at Sotheby's in London - despite only being valued at between ยฃ30,000 to ยฃ50,000.
Angelina Jolie is also said to have spent more than ยฃ200,000 at auction on three of his pieces.
When we asked shoppers what they thought of his work, again people were split over labelling it art or vandalism.
Ben Herbert, 23, said: "The man obviously has a lot of talent and just because he has chosen to do something in an unconventional way that does not make him a vandal."
Glenda Bull, 69, said: "I think it's nice to look at and it's a pity they can't find a place for these things to go up legally. Somewhere people can go to admire it.
"His work is entirely different to tagging which has no artistic quality at all."
Graffiti manager for Leicester City Council, Hughie Blair, was quick to condemn it.
He said: "To me it is all the same and if I was told to take it off I wouldn't think twice about it."
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www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/shared/contentbinaries/publish/1001526.jpg
A bigger photo is in the paper, which looks like a fake. It's tiny and lacks quality. It's also blue rather than the traditional black. Wishful thinking IMO.
CHEERS BANKSY? BY OLIVER WRIGHT 10:30 - 21 April 2007 A pub landlord could have a masterpiece painted on the wall of his bar - left by a notorious graffiti artist. The acclaimed work of Banksy, whose spray can art can fetch thousands of pounds, often springs up in unusual places. The Dry Dock, in Putney Road, off Welford Road, Leicester, appears to have a small piece by the popular, yet elusive artist on one of its walls. The six by four inch image shows a rat with a CCTV camera strapped to its back above the artist's trademark Banksy signature. The graffiti artist's work hit the headlines this week when London transport workers painted over one of his iconic murals - estimated to be worth more than ยฃ300,000. Banksy is understood to have Leicester links and pub manager Mike Smith, 33, wonders if the graffiti in his bar is the real thing and worth a tidy sum. "To be honest, I've never heard of the man and I was planning on painting over it but I didn't have the right colour paint," he said. "I will be less inclined to get the paint brush out now especially if it is worth as much as some of his work. "The design itself is not intrusive or offensive which is why I haven't acted sooner to remove it. "Saying that, if I had caught him doing it he wouldn't have been coming in here again." Banksy's notoriety has been growing over the past 10 years with a number of high profile stunts. His work has appeared on the West Bank wall in Israel, the giraffe enclosure in Barcelona Zoo, and on the side of an Indian elephant. He has even hung his own work in London's Tate Britain and the Museum of Modern Art, in New York. Public opinion is split over whether his work is really art or just plain vandalism. James Golding, director of the Leonard Street Gallery, in London, which deals in artwork by Banksy said: "Is this Art? Absolutely, without question, and in every sense of the word." A piece of work by the guerilla graffiti artist recently sold for ยฃ102,000 at Sotheby's in London - despite only being valued at between ยฃ30,000 to ยฃ50,000. Angelina Jolie is also said to have spent more than ยฃ200,000 at auction on three of his pieces. When we asked shoppers what they thought of his work, again people were split over labelling it art or vandalism. Ben Herbert, 23, said: "The man obviously has a lot of talent and just because he has chosen to do something in an unconventional way that does not make him a vandal." Glenda Bull, 69, said: "I think it's nice to look at and it's a pity they can't find a place for these things to go up legally. Somewhere people can go to admire it. "His work is entirely different to tagging which has no artistic quality at all." Graffiti manager for Leicester City Council, Hughie Blair, was quick to condemn it. He said: "To me it is all the same and if I was told to take it off I wouldn't think twice about it." -------------------------------------- www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/shared/contentbinaries/publish/1001526.jpgA bigger photo is in the paper, which looks like a fake. It's tiny and lacks quality. It's also blue rather than the traditional black. Wishful thinking IMO. |
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Leicester Mercury - 21/04/07, by irf2112 on Apr 21, 2007 16:13:13 GMT 1, seen the pic in the paper - I think its a publicity stunt... Not quite sure what links Banksy has with Leicester though... (as mentioned in the article)
seen the pic in the paper - I think its a publicity stunt... Not quite sure what links Banksy has with Leicester though... (as mentioned in the article)
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