Appraiser Admonishes Man Trying Sell Banksy Artwork on ‘Antiques Roadshow’
“If you do see a piece of graffiti art out there, leave it for the public.”
In a recent segment of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, a man attempted to sell a work supposedly painted by Banksy. The piece in question is a rat stencil on a steel plate that the owner said he pulled off a wall around 2004 when he was living in Brighton, England. “It looked loose,” he said during the show. “[I] went over, pulled it off basically.”
The man was hoping to get a high evaluation for the piece and even mentioned that he had applied to get a certificate of authenticity for the work, but was rejected. Expert appraiser, Rupert Maas, explained to him that Banksy oversees a website called Pest Control that allows potential buyers to apply for a certificate. The elusive artist will only give a certificate if the piece is real and not removed from the public. “The thing about Banksy,” Maas said, “is that he manages his brand very, very carefully indeed.”
“I think the message here is that, if you do see a piece of graffiti art out there, leave it, leave it for the public,” Maas said. “I’m not lecturing you. I’m just saying, without that certificate, it’s just very difficult to sell. With it, it might be worth £20,000. Without it, you’re nowhere.”
Watch the clip above and let us know your thoughts below.
Elsewhere in art, FriendsWithYou launched an experiential installation in Tokyo’s NANZUKA 2G Gallery.
