Posted on 05/26/2023 1:24:44 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A man poses under a stensil of a gull about to swoop down onto a carton of chips, the subject of a graffiti artwork bearing the hallmarks of street artist Banksy on a wall in Lowestoft on the East coast of England on August 8, 2021. - Banksy, Britain's most famous street artist, on August 13 confirmed what many had already suspected -- that he is indeed the author of several works that have recently appeared in British seaside towns. An Instagram video clip just over three minutes long, and titled "A Great British Spraycation", shows the elusive artist taking a summer road trip in a beat-up camper van and with cans of spray paint stashed in a cooler.
Among those in the art world, waking up to find you are the owner of a new work by the secretive street artist Banksy would be a dream come true. But, according to report in the Sun, a British couple has been subjected to “a living nightmare” since Banksy painted a nearly-20-foot seagull on the side of their Suffolk home.
Since Banksy adorned their home with the giant waterfowl in 2021, the homeowners, Garry and Gokean Coutts, have been plagued by vandals and forced to either pay for the bird’s protection and preservation, which would cost almost $50,000 per year. Otherwise, they could have the mural removed, which could cost up to a quarter of a million dollars.
In an interview with the Times, Mr. Coutts said “At first it was obviously incredible but as things have gone on it has become extremely stressful. I’m not sure Banksy realises the unintended consequences on homeowners. If we could turn back the clock, we would.”
Hooligans trying to paint over the mural, thieves chipping off painted sections to sell on Facebook, cracks in the wall, and county council members are just a few of the troubles the Couttses have had to deal with. After the theft, they had to hire a security guard to watch over the mural at night at their own cost.
The only way forward, the Couttses say, is to have the 22-ton mural removed, a major undertaking which over the last month has involved “reinforcing it with 12 layers of resin, fibreglass [sic] and five tonnes [sic] of steel and using a 40ft crane to take it away.”
The Couttses hope to sell the massive work in order to offset the $250,000 cost. “We are just normal people,” Mr. Coutts told the Sun, “so we’d like to sell it and make something back on it.”
In 2021, a Banksy mural depicting a young girl using a bicycle tire as a hula-hoop was removed from a brick wall in Nottingham, England, was sold for six-figures to the Brentwood, England–based Brandler Galleries.
I’d get a couple of spray cans of paint and take care of it one dark night.
“Graffiti artists” should be shot on sight.
L
Seriously. This house is owned by these folks but this no talent (my opinion) street artist slapped it onto the house they owned without permission,making them curators of this hideous work? My goodness. The British are crazier than the left in America.
I don’t like his work, but I would gladly sell it to some fool for a small fortune.
The problem with shooting a graffiti artist on sight is that the red-splattered graffiti is now more valuable than the original would have been. Go figure.
I would sue the artist
A couple of cans of spray paint wouldn't cover that wall/image of around 400 sq. ft. by my eye. It would take a case of 12 at least. And the image would likely bleed through.
The people who own the property can buy a gallon of B-I-N or KILZ (covers about 400 sq. ft.) and roll it on.
No bleed through and it dries in 15 minutes. Bye bye Banksy.
Yep. “Gee, I have no idea who might have done that. Damned hooligans.”
Also, note to author: There’s no need to put [sic] after each British spelling of a word.
I don’t get the 22 tons and $250,000 to remove it.
King’s English not from the colonies...
The art increases the value of the house by a lot.
I would buy 4 standard sheets of clear plastic (or plywood)
And cover it. Pretty sure I could do that for well under 1000 dollars
This makes no sense. Just get some black paint and cover it up. I say black because it will cover it better. Then later after the storm dies down, go back to whatever color you want.
It’s even worse than that.
Owner of building allows graffiti “artists” to paint on dilapidated building he owned. When we painted the building white to sell it the graffiti thugs sued and the developer had to pay them 7 million dollars.
Never let taggers on your property.
The rest of the wall is peeling paint and looks like crap. If anything the gull is an improvement. Now the owners are trying to hypse it up to get big bucks selling it at auction. Some idiot will buy it for big bucks too.
He apparently doesn’t know what (sic) means
Or, here’s a thought, they could just ignore it and let Climate Change work its magic.
Another example of the Euro-nonsense the American colonists fled....they know who the perp is who graffitied the building...why has he not been arrested and prosecuted? Why has he not been ordered to restore the building or pay to have it done?
Help me out because I’m dense. Why can’t the property owner just paint over it?
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