Two murals believed to be the work of street artist Banksy will be removed and auctioned in September with an estimated combined value of one million dollars, according to the BBC.
I Remember When All This Was Trees was painted on the wall of a neglected Detroit factory five years ago. A small non-profit gallery currently owns the piece and will sell it in order to raise money for community arts initiatives.
The other mural, titled Donkey Documents, was painted on a barrier dividing the West Bank from Israel in 2007, and depicts a Soldier checking a Donkey’s papers. Julien’s auction house, which is in possession of the piece, has not revealed who removed the mural, according to the BBC. As reported by the Guardian, Julien’s stated: “the detached mural… is the largest and most significant intact Banksy mural in existence from his visit to Israel.” Until the piece is auctioned in Los Angeles on September 30, it will be displayed at an as yet unspecified location in London.
Removal of Banksy murals has stirred controversy in the past. Protests ensured when one mural titled Slave Labour left behind a London Discount shop was removed in 2013 and ultimately auctioned for over a million dollars. Banksy is said to have declined to authenticate murals in order to resist the auction of street art, which he believes is meant to remain in its original location.