Missing Banksy mural shows up at U.S. auction

Miami, FL, United States (4E) – A mural made by British guerilla artist Banksy is up for sale Saturday at a US auction house, after it was reported missing from its place last week.

Banksy painted his artwork, titled “Slave Labour (Bunting Boy)” on the side of a Poundland shop in North London last year, just befor the Diamond Jubilee celebration. It shows a young boy hunched on a sewing machine working on Union Jack bunting.

The mural has since been considered public property. Councilor Alan Strickland, upon the painting’s disappearance, told the BBC, “Residents have been really shocked and really astonished. Banksy gave that piece of art to our community, and people came from all over London to see it.”

“Banksy gave our community that painting for free. Someone has taken it and plans to make a huge amount for themselves, which is disgusting and counter to the spirit in which it was given,” Strickland told the Sun.

Meanwhile, auctioneer Frederic Thut said that the painting came from by a “well-known collector” who also offered another Banksy painting, Wet Dog Bethlehem (2007), and even signed a contract saying “everything was above board.”

Thut said, “If he has lied to us it is important to know. But I don’t think he lies to us.”

Tagged as a Unique Street Work on the Fine Art Auction Miami’s website, the 122-by-152-centimeter painting is described as “Stencil and spray paint on render with additional jubilee bunting” with an estimated price of $500,000-$700,000.

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