Banksy artwork stolen less than one hour after London unveiling
A Banksy artwork has been stolen less than an hour after the artist confirmed the piece was his on Instagram.
The piece, a traffic “stop” sign covered with three military drones, was stolen in broad daylight in Peckham this afternoon.
Shortly after Banksy had taken to social media to confirm the piece was his to his 12.1m followers, two men were seen taking the sign down.
Because of the conceptual nature of the Bristol-based artist’s work, which often involves destroying his own pieces, some assumed the theft was part of the artwork.
So far, it’s been said Banksy was not behind its removal. The two anonymous men were seen taking it down, with photographers capturing them balancing on a Lime Bike to get it.
Although it’s not yet known why they took it down, the subject matter may be involved. Banksy, who has previously created street art in Gaza, seems to be calling for a ceasefire with his drone “stop” sign.
In 2015, after visiting Palestine to make a series of murals, he wrote on his website: “Gaza is often described as ‘the world’s largest open-air prison’ because no one is allowed to enter or leave. But that seems a bit unfair to prisons – they don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost every day.”
