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A brand new Banksy artwork was apparently stolen from a south London street today less than an hour after it was revealed to be genuine.
The artist confirmed the piece – a traffic stop sign covered with three military drones – was his in an Instagram post shortly after midday.
At around 12.30pm two men were seen hurriedly taking down the sign using a pair of pliers, with one balancing on a Lime e-bike to allow him to reach.
One of the men, who was wearing a red jacket and appeared to be in work gear, fled with the sign as stunned crowds watched on. He left the pair of pliers behind.
The extraordinary scenes unfolded at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham, south London, close to a zebra crossing.
Banksy has not yet commented on the drama, but had been warned by a social media user: ‘The sign will be snatched pronto.’
MailOnline has contacted the Met Police for comment.
A man was seen taking down the sign using a pair of pliers – balancing on an e-bike to allow him to reach
The pair were seen taking down the sign at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham at about 12.30pm
One of the men, dressed in a red jacket and apparently wearing work gear, pulls the sign down while another person
The man in the red jacket fled with the sign in front of stunned crowds who had gathered to look at it
The artist confirmed the piece – a traffic stop sign covered with three military drones – was his in an Instagram today shortly after midday
Banksy has not yet commented on the drama, but had been warned by a social media user: ‘The sign will be snatched pronto’
The drones resembled those on another artwork, Civilian Drone Strike, which depicted them destroying a house while a little girl and her dog watch on in horror.
It was sold for £200,000 to raise funds in opposition to a London arms fair.
This is not the first time Banksy’s art work has been removed shortly after its creation.
A mural weighing 3.8 tonnes called Valentine’s Day Mascara appeared on the side of a house in Margate, Kent, on Valentine’s Day this year and was dismantled some hours after Banksy had shared a series of photos of it online.
The mural depicted a 1950s’ housewife with a swollen eye and missing tooth, wearing an apron and yellow washing-up gloves, and throwing a man into a chest freezer.
At the time the resident of the property where the painting was created, who asked not to be named, said the freezer and other items including a broken garden chair used for the artwork had been removed ‘very quickly’ and put into a truck.
In September the mural was placed in the foyer of The Art of Banksy exhibition in Regent Street, central London, where it can be viewed for free.
The man in the red jacket clambers up the pole to reach the sign – Banksy’s latest work
The sign was hacked down using a pair of pliers as onlookers videoed the scene on their phones
The artwork had been left at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham
The man balanced on an e-bike as he removed the sign shortly after 12.30pm
It is understood Banksy was not behind the artwork’s removal
The man runs away holding the sign. MailOnline has contacted the Met for comment
The exhibition features pieces including Girl With Balloon, Flower Thrower and Rude Copper and also focuses on Banksy’s Dismaland, The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and recent works acknowledging the ongoing war in Ukraine.
An exhibition also opened at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) this year for a limited run and showcased 25 years of Banksy’s stencil graffiti.
Cut & Run included authentic artefacts, ephemera and the artist’s toilet, as well as a model that explained how the artist shredded Girl With Balloon during an auction at Sotheby’s in London in 2018.
The work was installed at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham, south London, close to a zebra crossing
A selection of photos of the artwork were uploaded to the artist’s Instagram page without a caption or explanation
The drones resemble those on another artwork, Civilian Drone Strike, which depicted them destroying a house while a little girl and her dog watch on in horror
This is not the first time Banksy’s art work has been removed shortly after its creation. A mural weighing 3.8 tonnes called Valentine’s Day Mascara appeared on the side of a house in Margate, Kent, on Valentine’s Day this year and was dismantled by the local council
In August, a message on cutandrun.co.uk, said that organisers now ‘want to take this show on the road but have no idea where to go to next’.
The artist often refers to contemporary issues and in 2020 included messages about the Coronavirus pandemic in his work.
Transport for London (TfL) removed spray paint in a London Underground carriage due to what they called their ‘strict anti-graffiti policy’.
Banksy is well known for his political artwork that often exmaines geopolitical issues
A man on a bike takes a photo of the artwork at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham
It remains to be seen what will be done to ensure Banksy’s latest artwork is not removed
In August, a message on cutandrun.co.uk, said that organisers now ‘want to take this show on the road but have no idea where to go to next’.
The artist often refers to contemporary issues and in 2020 included messages about the Coronavirus pandemic in his work.
Transport for London (TfL) removed spray paint in a London Underground carriage due to what they called their ‘strict anti-graffiti policy’.
It is likely the piece will attract substantial crowd now its location has become known
A man jogs by the new artwork in Peckham today
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