Thieves Steal Street Art by Bambi the Female Banksy

Bambi stencil mural of Amy Winehouse in Camden Town. Photo: Courtesy Flickr via Boring Lovechild
A work by street artist Bambi that will be auctioned to benefit London charity Art Against Knives.

A work by street artist Bambi that will be auctioned to benefit London charity Art Against Knives.

Art thieves made off with street art by Bambi, who is known as the “female Banksy,” from a pop-up gallery in north London, according to a report in the Telegraph. The art, which is reportedly worth $32,000 (£20,000) was meant to promote a similar piece (above) that will be auctioned for the benefit of Art Against Knives, a London charity that helps young people.

The stolen art consists of five black and white stenciled mural images of sharks with mouths open and teeth bared along with splotches of bright color and painted messages such as: “Turn and face your fears and watch them melt into roses.” The Telegraph says the murals were stolen by people who broke into the building site of a pop-up gallery in Upper Street, Islington, on October 8. Police are asking anyone with information about the stolen works to come forward.

Aria, the London design store that has the Bambi art for sale said in an email to artnet News: “‘It is a sad loss for Bambi, Art Against Knives and Aria. The installation was created to promote the charity for our event and we are truly shocked that someone has taken it. Fortunately the piece made for the auction is safe and sound with us. All we want is to bring our Sharks home!”

Bambi started gaining attention back in 2011 after her depiction of late singer Amy Winehouse that appeared on a door in Camden. She then created stencil portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingine.

Among collectors of her works are several high profile celebrities, the report says, including Rihanna, Adele, Robbie Williams, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

According to the artnet price database, the auction record for one of her works is $30,000 for Make Tea Not War, Miami (2013), a stencil on a piece of concrete wall that was sold at Fine Art Auctions Miami this past February on an estimate of $25–30,000.


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