[richmister]

Sorry if this has been posted



Bad News. The Banksy painting was removed from it’s original location at 410 S. La Brea Ave yesterday morning. Now, In this exclusive video sent to JetSet Graffiti anonymously by “a friend of the artist”, the removal process has been captured. The million dollar question we’re about to answer? Who did it?

JetSet Graffiti has confirmed through a business partner of Banksy’s that it was the infamous Doug Christmas of Ace Gallery in Los Angeles that organized the removal and impending unauthorized sale of the artwork. According to the source of the anonymous video, “I asked the workers what they were doing with it, and they said they were hired to remove it, and that it would go into a ‘big collection of art’. Our take on all of this- Don’t support the sale.

[Winter]

That piece would make a great print

[OutsideIn]

they have a business about street art but these sort of people are just fuking up the scene, you can clearly see its just about the money to them but not care about the work on the streets.

[Daniel Silk]

Why did Banksy pick now to do this piece in LA do you think?

[Max Beales]

Apr 15, 2010 10:43:04 GMT 1 Daniel Silk said:

Why did Banksy pick now to do this piece in LA do you think?

If it was Banksy, Then either because of the premiere in LA or just becuase he was already there and thought why not?

[mattgold]

Not sure if this is a double post... but looks like this is on eBay for $5,000:

cgi.ebay.com/BANKSY-GUARD-ON-DUTY-STENCIL-KOONS-DOG_W0QQitemZ250615685539QQcmdZViewItemQQptZArt_Paintings?hash=item3a59dbe1a3


(No, no, not mine
-M

[lifeonwalls]

Now I'm hoping that the stories of it not being a Banksy to begin with are true.

Gallery/Building owner hire someone to create a stencil.

Then have it removed making sure someone is there to capture the "theft".

JSG corroborates the story by posting the all of the information on his page and while shouting "don't support this auction!" he's inherently doing so by giving the piece SOME validation.

Now it's on ebay, and the gallery owner/JSG watch the $$$ roll in.

Pure speculation of course.


It would be awesome if he denied it was his.

[BK83]

This whole thing reaks of suspicion. And honestly, I think somewhere along the lines Banksy is in on it. No joke. He knows people like to jack his stuff for financial gain. You can't tell me he didn't know what he was doing painting on this 'no reason to be there' wood structure. Look, we all know and have witnessed Banksy's extraordinary publicity stunts - he is pure marketing genius - stories like this about his pieces getting jacked add longevity to the graffiti and artwork and keep people talking.

Let's not be so naive to think that Banksy doesn't have a movie to sell...

Movie studios (no matter how big or how small) DEMAND a return on their investment. Two words - Ticket. Sales.

[highinla]

the ebay auction looks like a major joke!

[Daniel Silk]

Its certainly gonna get some media coverage, so thats not bad for the Film.

[rowan]

Its all just a littly strange?

[walshy]

Apr 15, 2010 15:20:06 GMT 1 highinla said:

the ebay auction looks like a major joke!

didnt you film this ?

[walshy]

Apr 15, 2010 10:43:04 GMT 1 Daniel Silk said:

Why did Banksy pick now to do this piece in LA do you think?

er to promote the show ? have a word silky

[dotdot]

not wishing to cast suspicion in anyway...

are we - ok is anyone thinking....

that B would produce a work on a .... let me get this straight...

hardboard .. ? something easily removable.. ?

well if you are.. .then i'd think in the first instance that it'd be highly unlikely - regardless of the image ... oy spot those feet

jsg's time is coming (I'd idley speculate) .. and when it does - it'll be on film...

exit through the trap door ..

hacd

[Mateo Spain]

Seems the eBay auction has been removed, anyone know what might have happened to it? All seems very mysterious...

[jh153]

That removal job looked too easy - like a knife through butter!

[Daniel Silk]

[AFR1KA]

After watching that video it look really suspicious to me. A nice clean (even the part above the stencil work is basically spotless) white hollowed out wood panel on a structure that is all brick and concrete. Doesn't make sense at all. I would not at all be surprised if this was not a true Banksy but some shady gallery owner trying to make some money and get some media exposure for his gallery. If it is a Banksy I would think it will pop up on his website at some point.

[lc3]

I've little doubt that it's Banksy, but I do believe that there was more to the story than it simply being pieced and removed... Please see the other LA thread for my comments, or otherwise here they are:

Regarding the La Brea piece: IMO, there's no doubt that there's well more to the story than Banksy piecing that particular wall and it being taken down. I'm convinced that it must have been orchestrated to some degree. To what degree, by who, or how, I have no idea... I could make some guesses, but that's about it. Banksy may not have even know anything about what was going on. But for that immaculate piece to show up on a perfectly clean, essentially "cut-out" wall (sized to fit), set conveniently behind a fence (remaining untouched for a couple of days while it's photographed and blogged about), on a property associated with Ace Gallery... And then to be be cleanly removed and carted away by Ace Gallery a few days after it receives wide public exposure is not random. Consider that this happened during the Los Angeles premiere of the film, so media/blog exposure on this particular piece was undoubtedly far, far higher than it normally have been (which still would have been high). As well, Banksy's presence in LA for the premiere lent a validation to the piece actually being his, confirmed or not. Ace is a major gallery, and has been for many, years (started early '60's). The gallery has some very deep roots (as well as some very sordid histories) with both major artists and major art patrons. Again, this is just my opinion, but I simply can't see how this would be a fluke.

Would certainly be interesting to find out what went down and how (besides the piece itself, I mean).

I also think it's interesting there's that Koons reference in a piece that winds up dropping right into the lap of a heavy-duty gallery... Among other things, Chrismas's deep-pocket art-world patrons would be among a crowd who'd covet a reference like that more than others might... But that could be reading too much into it.

I suppose I just wish he'd make one for me too... Doug Chrismas has plenty of art. Maybe Banksy'll break the old HMV stencil out for me. Doesn't have to be special multi-color or anything... White on black'd be perfect.

--

LC3

[silentmusician]

it is a real one.. dont kid yourselves..
many buildings in many parts of the states are held together with wood and dry lined.. that is the reason as to how easy and neat it was made to look.. its cos it was easy and neatly removed..
the offers as you know are big nowadays.. its a shame it didnt last long but hopefully (fingers crossed) the stencil might get used again somewhere it may not be as easy to removed..
the esp.

[simonpinder]

not listed on ebay anymore!

[eduarandres]

picture has been posted on banksy website
im sure whoever has this will soon try to sell it since it has been confirmed

shame really

[BK83]

May 7, 2010 16:17:10 GMT 1 eduarandres said:

picture has been posted on banksy website
im sure whoever has this will soon try to sell it since it has been confirmed

shame really

Just noticed that now, Eduard.

further validation for me that somehow Banksy was involved/knew about the removal process. Why else would he validate the artwork? It gets curiouser and curiouser.

[milkybinbags]

it is unusual for him to put up work that has been taken from the street already.
very odd.

[brittbritt]

I heard a rumour that Lahoda was selling this through his gallery in downtown LA, among other validated "street pieces"... Supposedly he and Banksy and Ace Gallery were all in on it.

...the story continues...

[bleech]

lahoda is a cocksucking idiot

[TheCatalyst]

Anyone notice this auction yet? cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120575643567

If you look at the auction close ups side by side with photos of the actual piece before it was removed, they look amazingly similar. I for the life of me can't believe that this is the actual Guard on Duty piece that was hacked out of the wall though.

[TheCatalyst]

Side note: not my auction.

[walshy]

May 10, 2010 20:10:12 GMT 1 Steve Korkis said:

So basically the evidence points to the fact that Banksy was in on it, knew that Doug Dickhead owned that building and was going to remove it. If true, that's pretty fuking weak on Mr.B's part...........

TBH we are lucky he even still does street work, where he does it and who he gives it too don't matter to me. Im just glad he is still doing work for us normal folk to see, as id say a lot of pieces go strait from his studio to the buyers collection

[ramo]

Sold for $15.778,93 on ebay. But item has been removed from seller.