A mural on the wall of a Brighton gay pub by famed street artist Banksy will be put up for auction, with experts predicting a sold price of up £1 million.
The painting, depicting two gay policemen kissing, has been on the wall of the Prince Albert pub for seven years and has become a major tourist attraction in its own right.
The gay-themed work has, however, also been a target for vandals on a number of occasions, but the pub owner secretly switched the original for a copy in 2008 with the help of art restoration specialists. But now after repeated attacks and a rise in popularity of the artist’s status in the United States, the pub’s landlord Chris Steward has decided the time is right to sell the artwork, with any funds made being used in the running of the pub.
Steward told the Daily Mail: “When he put it on the pub it belonged to the pub and, if it is sold, all the money will go back to the pub.
"It is very difficult to just keep the pub going, so a little break from that would be very welcome.”
Steward has repeatedly tried to contact the artist to gain his opinion on the removal of the artwork, but with no success.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Banksy’s works have been coveted by the likes of Christina Aguilera and Angelina Jolie, and the graffiti artist’s piece Keep It Spotless fetched £1.13million at auction in New York three years ago. His recent documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop has also raised the profile of the Bristol-born artist, who is rumoured to be former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham.
Lindsay Alkin, one of the first people to sell Banksy’s works and the director of the Art Republic gallery in the city, believes the removal of the artwork would be a blow to Brighton’s art cultural scene.
She told the Daily Mail: “What he does on the street should stay on the street. It is part of Brighton’s culture, like an outside gallery, and now that is lost.”
