Month-Old Banksy Mural Removed and Headed to Auction

The original Banksy Art Buff (2014) in Folkestone, England Photo: Street Art News

Art Buff, the mural that Banksy painted in the coastal town of Folkestone, just over a month ago (see “Fresh Banksy Appears in Folkestone, England”), has been removed and is now slated to go on sale.

Proceeds from the sale of the piece, rumored to be worth in the region of £300,000, will to go to a local charity, according to the Daily Mail.

The piece depicts an old lady wearing headphones and staring at an empty plinth. It will be auctioned off by London’s Bankrobber Gallery, the only dealership in the UK selling Banksy’s street artworks, according to its Wikipedia page. The date of the auction is yet to be disclosed.

Last Saturday, a team of workmen arrived to the arcade where the mural was located and began to remove the painting. The team was interrupted shortly thereafter by a group of artists, who protested and tried to prevent the mural’s removal. Police officers were then called to the scene to reinstate order.

The Godden family, owners of the arcade where the mural was painted, had ordered its removal, claiming they were no longer able to protect it from damage, the Independent reports. Early on in its stint in Folkestone, an anonymous vandal added a big drawing of penis on the original empty plinth (see “Phallic Addition to Folkestone Banksy Mural”). The rude drawing was removed shortly after.

But not only artists and other locals have expressed their disappointment at this turn of events. Damian Collins, Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, as well as the Shepway District Council, made several appeals to the Godden family, asking them to keep the Banksy piece for Folkestone.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.
  • Access the data behind the headlines with the artnet Price Database.
Article topics