'1.6 Billion Won Mural' Disappeared Overnight... Debris Collected but Restoration Impossible

Building with Banksy Mural Demolished

The building featuring the mural by the 'faceless painter' Banksy, which symbolized the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), has been demolished. The value of this mural is estimated to be around 1 million pounds (approximately 1.6 billion KRW).

According to the US CNN broadcast on the 29th (local time), the mural disappeared overnight in 2019 when paint was applied over the building's exterior wall.

Photo by Banksy Instagram capture

The mural was painted in 2017 on the wall of the 'Castle Amusements' building in Dover, a port city in the southeast of England and a gateway to Europe, after the UK decided to leave the EU through the Brexit referendum.

It depicted a worker on a ladder chiseling out one of the twelve stars from the EU flag. This was a satire of Brexit. Banksy, the anonymous British artist, later acknowledged through a representative that the mural was his work.

According to CNN's report, the building was demolished as part of an urban regeneration project called 'The Bench,' which aims to build cultural and community facilities as well as residential housing. The city authorities had attempted to restore the erased mural but failed, and during the recent comprehensive urban regeneration project, the building was demolished and the mural completely disappeared.

However, the company responsible for the demolition stated that they are attempting to preserve the artwork in some way by collecting the building debris.

A spokesperson for the Dover City Council told CNN, "Before approving the demolition, we sought expert advice on preserving the artwork, and the city council decided that even if it were technically possible to restore Banksy's mural, it could not be carried out without a significant amount of local tax funding."

Banksy has not made any public statements regarding the demolition of the building. Banksy is a pseudonymous British artist, graffiti artist, and filmmaker. He calls himself an art terrorist and leaves graffiti on streets, walls, and bridges in cities around the world.

Banksy has also destroyed his own works. In October 2018, Banksy's 'Balloon Girl,' which was auctioned at Sotheby's in London, was sold for about 1.5 billion KRW at the time. As soon as the auctioneer struck the gavel, the canvas inside the frame slowly slid down and half of it was shredded. The artwork was later renamed 'Love is in the Bin.' Although half of the piece was shredded, it was resold three years later for 18 times the original auction price, drawing attention once again.