Banksy: City of London moves art installation to Guildhall so it’s ‘properly protected’
The City of London has moved an installation from mysterious artist Banksy to protect it and allow the public to view it.
On Monday, a City of London sentry box appeared with artwork, depicting piranhas in a fishtank, in the heart of the Square Mile, by Ludgate Hill.
Commuters and onlookers were seen taking pictures of the work, before the Corporation moved it to Guildhall.
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation said: “We have moved the artwork to Guildhall Yard to ensure it is properly protected and open for the public to view safely.
“A permanent home for the piece will be decided in due course”.
This comes after a new series of Banksy installations, including at London Zoo. A new piece, located on a shutter at the zoo’s entrance, showed a gorilla lifting it up allowing a number of birds to escape, while the eyes of other animals can be seen lurking in the darkness.
His last piece, a rhino mounting a silver Nissan Micra in Charlton, was defaced by a man wearing a black balaclava just hours after it went up.
A council said it is “a real shame that a mindless vandal” defaced a Banksy in south-east London.
The eighth in the Bristol street artist’s animal series was unveiled on Monday, and was quickly spray painted white with a dollar and “v” sign.