A painting by the elusive British guerilla artist Banksy has been gouged out of a wall in North London and is being sold by an American art dealer.
Banksy Slave Labour, depicting a child labourer sewing Union Jack bunting, is expected to fetch 450,000 on the Fine Art Auctions Miami website.
The street art was stencilled onto the side of a Poundland shop in Wood Green in 2012 but disappeared last week.
Banksy Slave Labour was hacked from a shop wall and is now being sold on a U.S. art auction website. It is expected to fetch 450,000
Gouge: The hole left behind after the artwork was stolen. It was protected by a perspex screen
Gone: Three children look at the cemented-up hole where the Banksy artwork was
Gallery owner Frederic Thut told The Sun that it was being sold by a ‘well-known’ collector who is not British but refused to divulge any more information. He added that the painting was being stored in Europe.
Locals are furious about the painting being stolen. Councillor Alan Strickland says the artwork was a ‘gift’ to his community and has instigated a campaign to get the artwork returned by urging people to e-mail the U.S. auction website.
He said: ‘The Banksy appeared last May and created lots of excitement in the area – people were coming from across London to see it.
‘We were really proud to have a Banksy in our neighbourhood, so residents were shocked to realise it had been ripped out of the wall.
‘The community feels that this art was given to us, for free, and it’s now been taken away to be sold for huge profit. I’m very angry about the Banksy going – we want our Banksy back!’
A screen grab of the U.S. art website that is auctioning the Banksy
Much of the controversial artist’s work is believed to have a political message, and Slave Labour is believed to be a statement on sweatshops churning out decorations and memorabilia got the Golden Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics.
Poundland say they are not behind the removal of the artwork, which was behind a protective perspex screen when it was taken.
A spokesman said: ‘We’re not responsible for either selling or removing the Banksy mural. We’re currently investigating.’
A Met Police spokesman said the removal has not been reported as a crime.