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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Is Banksy Back In Bristol?

By Hashim Javier


Bristol's favourite street artist - the elusive Banksy - is thought to have marked the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations with a return to his hometown, several years after painting his last piece on the streets where he learnt and developed his trademark artistic style.

The new piece shows Queen Elizabeth's head decorated with a vibrant red lightning bolt strike adorning the front of her face in the style of David Bowie. Although the piece seems to be in Banksy's style, he has yet to confirm its' authenticity.

The piece is located on a section of wall opposite the Bristol Royal infirmary hospital, which has seen a number of pieces painted upon it in the past few months. Banksy originally painted a police sniper several years ago which was then painted over by Team Robbo a couple of months ago.

The feud between Banksy and King Robbo has been well documented and began when Banksy knowingly painted over one of King Robbo's pieces in London which was believed to be one of the oldest street artworks in the capital.

The rivalry began when Banksy knowingly defaced one of King Robbo's pieces in London which had remained untouched for over a quarter of a century. Since then Team Robbo have been working with King Robbo to deface as many of Banksy's pieces as possible across the UK and beyond.

It is commonly believed that Banksy grew up in Bristol, and there are many of his pieces dotted around the city, including a number in the community of Easton where it is believed he lived for a number of years as a teenager whilst he was discovering and developing his stencil style.

Famous Banksy Bristol pieces include: a gorilla wearing a mask, a grim reaper on the side of a boat, a naked man hanging from a window and a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at police - not to mention countless other pieces which have significantly faded or been defaced.

Banksy's influence on Bristol is immeasurable, with Bristol now being synonymous with street art across the world, not just the UK. The influence he has had on the street art scene is immense as is the number of tourists that have come to Bristol to photograph his work. And if the new piece turns out to be a genuine Banksy, it will be a very welcomed return to the city he once called home.




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