Two Men Arrested After Banksy Artwork Stolen

Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Two Men Arrested After Banksy Artwork Stolen

Two arrests have now been made after a road sign featuring work by secret street artist Banksy was photographed being removed from a road junction in south-east London.

The piece of art – a red stop sign with three military drones painted on top – was unveiled on Friday in Commercial Way, Peckham, London. The artwork was authenticated by Banksy with a photo of the piece being uploaded to his social media account.

But a man in his twenties was arrested on Saturday after being photographed removing the sign with boltcutters, and making off with it. A video shot by onlookers shows the man reaching up to cut the sign off its post, while another man holds his bike. The first was arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.

The police confirmed: “We are aware of footage being shared which shows the sign being removed.” The BBC reports that a second man has been arrested on suspicion of the same offences.

The work is being interpreted as Banksy’s call for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza. The artist owns a hotel in Bethlehem, where similar works of art featuring drones have previously appeared.

Stephanie Cime

ArtDependence WhatsApp Group

Get the latest ArtDependence updates directly in WhatsApp by joining the ArtDependence WhatsApp Group by clicking the link or scanning the QR code below

whatsapp-qr

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Image of the Day

Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.

Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.

Search

About ArtDependence

ArtDependence Magazine is an international magazine covering all spheres of contemporary art, as well as modern and classical art.

ArtDependence features the latest art news, highlighting interviews with today’s most influential artists, galleries, curators, collectors, fair directors and individuals at the axis of the arts.

The magazine also covers series of articles and reviews on critical art events, new publications and other foremost happenings in the art world.

If you would like to submit events or editorial content to ArtDependence Magazine, please feel free to reach the magazine via the contact page.