A Banksy artwork on the shutters of London Zoo has been removed for “security reasons” and to allow the popular attraction to use its full entrance.
The artwork, which shows a gorilla lifting a hatch to allow birds and a seal to escape, has been replaced with a replica.
The painting was the ninth and final work in a series of paintings that Banksy created in as many days in London earlier this month.
A nearby sign reads “Banksy woz ere” and apologizes to fans of the famous street artist.
When the work was first discovered, the zoo used a Perspex cover to “protect it from the glare of the sun”.
Read more: Is Banksy Art or Graffiti? Here’s What Yahoo Readers Think
Announcing the removal on Sunday, London Zoo said it was “still working out exactly what we will do with the artwork, but we are keen to preserve this moment in our history in the right way”.
Two other works in the series, including the silhouettes of elephants in Edith Grove in Chelsea, were defaced and another was stolen within hours of being installed.
Since August 5, Banksy’s London creations include a rhino sitting on a silver Nissan Micra with a traffic cone on the bonnet on Westmoor Street in Charlton, a police station in Ludgate Hill that has been converted into a giant aquarium full of piranhas, and a pelican bending down to scoop up a fish on the sign outside Bonner’s Fish Bar in Walthamstow.
The rhino painting was defaced by a man in a black balaclava just hours after it was made public, while the silhouette of a howling wolf was captured on a satellite dish from a rooftop in Peckham.
The sixth artwork, a cat stretched out on a blank, worn billboard, was removed from northwest London hours after it was unveiled.
The crowd cheered as the billboard in Cricklewood was dismantled by three men, who said they had been hired to remove it for safety reasons.
The billboard’s owner said the work would be remounted in an art gallery.
As always, there is speculation about Banksy’s identity. Who is he?
Has Banksy’s identity ever been revealed?
No. There have been various theories and claims made over the years about Banksy’s identity, but none have been confirmed.
By deliberately remaining anonymous, Banksy has been able to do his work without facing legal repercussions for his often unauthorized street art, which can be considered vandalism in some jurisdictions.
It also gave him the ability to act as he pleased without fear of being followed by fans or the media.
It is generally assumed that he lived in or near Bristol, but little else is known about him.
In a recording of BBC Radio 4’s The Banksy Story, he described himself as a “painter and decorator” and explained why he also likes to stick artwork on buildings like the Louvre. He said: “You don’t want to be stuck in the same profession all your life, do you?”
What is Banksy’s real name and how did he remain anonymous?
Since his appearance on the scene in the early 1990s, Banksy has tried to keep his identity a secret, often wearing a mask in the rare interviews he does give.
He also never reveals the location where he will create his next work of art, often only when the general public shares it on social media.
However, in November last year it emerged that Banksy had “revealed” his name in an unknown BBC interview from 2003.
Former BBC reporter Nigel Wrench interviewed Banksy ahead of his Turf War show in East London and asked if he could give his real name. He asked if it was Robert Banks, to which he replied: “It’s Robbie.”
How does Banksy make money?
Despite his anonymous image and unconventional approach, Banksy generates income in various ways.
Part of his personality even rejects the concept of ‘commercial success’ and in the past he has encouraged people not to buy his work.
In a 2013 interview with the Village Voice, the artist said, “Graffiti art has a hard enough time, not to mention hedge fund managers who want to chop it down and hang it over fireplaces.
“To keep all street art where it belongs, I encourage people not to buy anything from anyone unless it is primarily intended to sell.”
Despite this, he probably still earned a significant amount of money from his work.
He has published several books in his lifetime, including the bestseller Wall and Piece, and likely receives royalties for them.
Banksy also directed an award-winning documentary called Exit Through The Gift Shop, which explored modern and underground art, generating over £3 million in profits.
Sometimes Banksy offered to sell some of his art through Pest Control. That was the only way he would approve the sale.
His Cut & Run exhibition in Glasgow attracted around 180,000 visitors during its 10-week run – his first solo exhibition in 14 years.
Where is Banksy from and how much is he worth?
Although it is difficult to know where an anonymous artist comes from, he rose to fame in the early 1990s with his murals on walls in Bristol and has remained connected to the city and the surrounding area ever since.
Banksy’s art can be found all over the world: London, New York, Paris, Bethlehem and elsewhere.
It is difficult to estimate how much the artist is worth, but his creations are estimated to be worth almost £40 million.
However, this valuation is based on the sale of his art, which he did not approve, and the profits typically go to the owners of the location where the art was located.
It is possible that some of the profits from Banksy’s art went to him, but no one knows for sure.
Is Banksy married?
Although never made public, Banksy fans have identified Joy Millward, who runs a lobby group that campaigns on behalf of charities, as a potential candidate for the role of his wife.
She is married to Robin Gunningham, who has been cited several times as the most likely person to be Banksy.
Millward and Gunningham lead extremely private lives and very little is known about them.
Whether this is a personal choice, or whether they have had enough of the speculation about them being Banksy and Banksy’s wife, or whether Gunningham is in fact Banksy, we may never know.
