New Banksy murals on the side of the house appear to have been vandalized by throwing white paint on them
A NEW Banksy tree mural spray-painted on the side of a house has reportedly been vandalized with white paint.
The artist claimed the work of art as his own Instagram post on Monday, after a morning of speculation afterwards appeared on a building on Hornsey Road in Finsbury Park, north London‘at night.
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Residents said they were “proud and excited” at the thought of the anonymous artist choosing their street for his latest mural.
Wanja Sellers, a resident of Hornsey Road who lives a few doors down from the mural, said: “We are so proud and delighted that Banksy chose our path and chose Finsbury Park for his work.
“The bright green colors represent Islington, which is beautiful, and of course it is St. Patrick’s Daywhich is fun and festive.
“By choosing the colors of our municipality, it just feels like a personal message for us residents. We are just so proud.”
Bright green paint was sprayed on it buildingfor a pruned tree, giving the impression that it is its foliage.
A stencil of a person holding a pressure hose has also been sketched on the building.
The vibrant paint color matches that of Islington Council for street signs in the area.
Neighbors gathered Monday morning to take photos and selfies with the mural and speculate about its creator.
However, it now appears that the Banksy has been vandalized by throwing white paint over it.
Clinical psychologist Amy in training, who lives in an apartment in the building, previously ended up at X Tweetto share a photo of the incident.
She wrote: ‘Someone destroyed the Banksy overnight. Stripped. Why can’t people make a community happy without trying to ruin it?’
Former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was “delighted” to see the artwork in his Islington North constituency.
“Banksy has come to Finsbury Park with a bit of greenery in a place that needs a bit more greenery. We are the most populous constituency in the country and I am just delighted,” the MP said.
“It gives the idea that we can use a lot more greenery everywhere and I think that is a very nice message.”
Lidia Guerra, another resident of Hornsey Road, said: “The way it’s done, with the paint spraying down, reminds me of a weeping willow tree, so there may be a message in there about nature’s battle with the dead tree in front of it.
“It’s just amazing – when we read about it last night we knew we had to come and see it as soon as possible.
“We are so proud that he chose our street.”
Local Chris Beskin said he welcomed the mural, adding it was “great to have in our region.”
“I’m absolutely delighted to see this on our street. I think it’s great and sends a strong message. I’d love to see more of it, to be honest, the more the merrier,” he said.
“I think it’s probably one of his biggest pieces in a while – and the fact he did it on the wall means it can’t just be stolen or easily removed.”
Chris went to look at the mural with his neighbors on Monday morning.
Loraine Holmes is the co-founder of Facebook group of Banksy locations, which has almost 20,000 members.
It’s kind of crazy to be honest, coming here and seeing all these crowds of people looking at the building
Alex Georgiou
She said she heard about the mural on Sunday evening and took the first train from Leeds on Monday morning to see it for herself.
Although Banksy had not confirmed the piece was his when she left the house, Ms Holmes said she was confident the mural was the work of the anonymous street artist based on the information shared in the Facebook group.
“I’ve been a fan for five, six years now and have traveled all over the country and seen his works in Margate, Nottingham, Port Talbot, I even traveled to Paris to see one of his pieces.
“We get a lot of information in this Facebook group, so I actually knew last night that this was definitely a Banksy piece.
“I’m so happy to be here and it’s really exciting to see the crowd here for his work.”
Banksy usually confirms his artwork via his Instagram and website.
Before this piece, his last confirmed work was in December, when he painted military drones to a stop sign in Peckham, South East London.
That work was removed less than an hour after the artist’s social media confirmed it was real, with witnesses reporting it had been removed by a man with bolt cutters.
Two men were later arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.
Alex Georgiou, whose company owns the building with the mural, said he found out about it late Sunday night and came to see it for the first time Monday morning.
“It’s kind of crazy to be honest, coming here and seeing all these crowds of people looking at the building,” he said.
Mr Georgiou said no one was currently living in the building, which was for rent from his estate agent, Alex Marks.
Banksy’s last confirmed work of art
ELUSIVE artist Banksy confirms each artwork on his Instagram page.
The last post admitting any work by him came in December 2023.
A traffic stop sign was covered with three planes that looked like military personnel drones on a street in South London.
Fans of Banksy interpreted the piece as a political statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Just an hour after Banksy posted confirming it was his, the graffiti art was removed and showed two men considering the take down.
Footage showed one of them balancing on a Lime bicycle at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way..
It is understood Banksy did not support the removal.
“The question is: what should I do with it now? What should I do with it now?
“I definitely plan to leave it there and let people enjoy it. Everyone loves it, which is great. I just still can’t really believe it to be honest,” he said.
Mr Georgiou joked that he might raise the rent now that the elusive street artist had chosen the building for his latest work of art.
Islington Council’s graffiti removal team are reportedly aware of the artwork and will not remove it.
Councilor Roulin Khondoker, Executive Member for Equality, Culture and Inclusion, said: “Culture is a powerful way to tell meaningful stories and we welcome this work of art to Islington, a borough that celebrates creativity.
“This fantastic piece by Banksy has created a real buzz in Islington and beyond, and we really want the artworks to survive for people to enjoy. We want to find more ways in which we can tell important stories through art and culture.
“Trees are an essential part of our work to tackle the climate crisis. We planted almost 900 last year alone, and we are working hard to care for our trees and help them thrive.”
It is clear that the cherry tree in front of the artwork is approximately 40 to 50 years old and is in decline. health.
The municipality’s tree service had been working for some time to extend its lifespan and would continue to try to keep the rotting tree alive.
Mr Georgiou joked that he might raise the price of the property now that the elusive street artist had chosen it as a canvas for his latest artwork.
But he later quelled residents’ fears about their rent accounts could increase, and clarified that he had no intention of profiting from the artwork unless a Banksy “superfan” wanted to buy the entire building.
He told the MailOnline: “I had a bit of a laugh with the girls saying I was going to increase the rent by 250 per cent, but no, no. I doubt it.
‘Unless we have a huge Banksy fan who is willing to pay a lot for it. But a property is worth what a property is worth.
‘You know what, if someone offered me millions and he or she could get the building and take the flats with them. Feel free.
‘They can knock if they want. Give me a number in an envelope and whoever has the biggest number can have it.”
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