Banksy’s new artwork has been stolen: two men remove drone stop sign from south London street – just an hour after the artist confirmed it was his on Instagram

A brand new Banksy artwork was apparently stolen from a south London street less than an hour later today confirmed that it is real.

The artist confirmed on Instagram shortly after noon today that the piece – a road sign covered with three military drones – was his.

At around 12.30pm, two men were seen hastily taking down the sign with pliers, with one balancing on a Lime e-bike so he could reach it.

One of the men, wearing a red jacket and appearing to be in work clothes, fled with the sign as the stunned crowd looked on. He left the pliers behind.

The extraordinary scenes unfolded the junction of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham, South London, near a zebra crossing.

Banksy has not yet commented on the tragedy, but was warned by a social media user: ‘The sign will be ripped away immediately.’

MailOnline has contacted police for comment.

The work was installed at the junction of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham, South London, close to a pedestrian crossing

One of the men, wearing a red jacket, fled with the sign as the stunned crowd looked on

Banksy has not yet commented on the tragedy, but was warned by a social media user: ‘The sign will be ripped away immediately’

The work was installed at the junction of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham, South London, close to a pedestrian crossing

A selection of photos of the artwork were uploaded to the artist’s Instagram page without any caption or explanation

The drones resemble those in another artwork, Civilian Drone Strike, which shows them destroying a house as a little girl and her dog watch in horror.

The drones resembled those in another artwork, Civilian Drone Strike, which showed them destroying a house as a little girl and her dog watched in horror. It was sold for £200,000 to raise money in the fight against an arms fair in London.
Photos of Banksy’s latest public work were uploaded to the artist’s Instagram page today without any caption or explanation.

The artist has installed a number of other works of art this year, including Valentine’s Day Mascara, a 3.8 tonne mural, which appeared on the side of a house in Margate, Kent, on Valentine’s Day.

The mural depicted a 1950s housewife with a swollen eye and missing tooth, wearing an apron and yellow dishwashing gloves, throwing a man into a chest freezer.

In September it was placed in the foyer of The Art of Banksy exhibition in Regent Street, central London, where it can be viewed free of charge.

The exhibition includes Girl With Balloon, Flower Thrower and Rude Copper, but also focuses on Banksy’s Dismaland, The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and recent works recognizing the ongoing war in Ukraine.

A limited edition exhibition also opened at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), showcasing 25 years of Banksy’s stencil graffiti.

Cut & Run featured authentic artifacts, ephemera and the artist’s toilet, as well as a model explaining how the artist shredded Girl With Balloon during a 2018 auction at Sotheby’s in London.

Banksy is known for his political artworks that often highlight geopolitical issues

A man on a bicycle takes a photo of the artwork at the junction of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham

It remains to be seen what will be done to ensure that Banksy’s latest work of art is not removed

In August, a post on cutandrun.co.uk stated that organizers now “want to take this show on the road but have no idea where to go.”

The artist often references contemporary issues and incorporated messages about the coronavirus pandemic into his work in 2020.

Transport for London (TfL) removed spray paint from a London Underground carriage due to what they called their ‘strict anti-graffiti policy’.

It is likely that the play will attract a large audience now that the location has been announced

A man jogs past the new artwork in Peckham today