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.
yup, cost of a bucket of paint at most.
There are such laws in the United States too. I’m aware of a former tenant of a commercial space suing the current tenant because the current tenant painted over a mural that the former tenant painted while renting.
Past case had graffiti artists suing the owner of the building for destroying their “art”, and winning
https://nypost.com/2018/02/12/developer-must-pay-6-7m-for-destroying-iconic-graffiti-art/amp/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Artists_Rights_Act
I’ve loved his work from the first time I’ve seen it. There’s a cleanliness to his designs and a sense of humor that makes his work distinctive. Selling it in place and letting the buyer move it is the way to go. The cost of protection until then will pay for itself.
He might know what it means, but clearly not when to use it.
A freakin’ vandal, posing as an artist.
The first sign society was crumbling was when we started tolerating graffiti everywhere.
Let youe beloved artist paint on the canvas he owns. Otherwise, it is straight up vandalism.
A couple of gallons of flat black paint could cure that problem.
When I was in high school, some commie spray painted communist propaganda on a freeway bridge. One morning not long after it was covered by an American flag painted on with oil based paint.
The flag remained for decades.
It’s a Banksy! Hell, I would leverage that.
Strange. Vandalism defines a several hundred thousand dollar gift. Love to see that enter the dictionary. And he is my beloved artist. Adore the man!
This is a joke right? What in hell. They paint on the place then they have ‘property’ rights over it? Do they have any responsibility for property taxes, upkeep, etc? Do they have a lien on the property that must be cleared before it can be sold?
A good media blaster, some power washing, KILZ primer and a repaint ought to do it. Heck, I’ll fly over and do it for $100K.
AMEN! Sell it for $500,000 there is you repair cost and a cool $250,000 left over!!! Throw me in to that brat bush!
Where do you think the communist/libs/dems get their ideas?
I can only guess that most of the Freepers on this thread are total unaware that Banks art sells in the MILLONS of dollars range. Yes I understand if you think NO WAY is it worth that much, but its a FACK that is what they are selling for! Again I ad ‘THROW ME INTO THAT BRIER BUSH!” Please!
The things people think are precious I can’t understand.
They want to sell it.
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