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Hackney to whitewash Banksy's murals
Evening Standard29.10.07
Some of graffiti artist Banksy's most famous work is going to be washed away by council cleaners.
Hackney council has declared war on the artist even though the area has become a favourite location for the Bristol-born artist whose stencils can sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Art tourists regularly visit the east London borough armed with maps showing the locations of his work.
But a council spokesman said: "We can't make a decision on whether something is art or graffiti. The Government judges us on the number of clean walls we have."
A year ago, two officially sanctioned Banksy stencils were meant to be unveiled at the opening of a new square in the borough but over-eager council staff washed them away two days before the opening ceremony.
The council apologised and it was believed Hackney had drawn up a list of graffiti sites for staff so they knew to leave them alone.
But councillor Alan Laing said: "It is a myth that Hackney has a list of protected street art. Some might see graffiti as street art but to most people it is just vandalism."
Banksy's Space Girl And Bird sold at Bonhams for £288,000 in April - his most expensive single piece.
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Reader views (6)
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Whitewashing Banksy's work would be like erasing a part of the British culture. His work brightens up the dreary Urban City landscape we live in and creates something interesting to look at.
- Beverly Small, London, UK
Getting rid of artwork such as this is just a pure sign of ignorance.
- Robyn, Essex
Graffiti changes the dull, unpleasent urban enviroment into something far more human and interesting, removing it or trying to mask it shows a lack of foresight and intelligence.
- Tom, Portsmouth
