Two works by Banksy had been defaced in New Orleans over the weekend. Based on a report by the New York Publish, the artist’s murals titled The Grey Ghost and Umbrella Woman had been tagged with different graffiti bearing the phrases “Group Robbo” and “King Robbo,” respectively.
The purple graffitied phrases atop the murals could seek advice from the late British road artist King Robbo, who had a publicized rivalry with Banksy. Their feud stemmed from a 2009 incident through which Banksy reportedly painted over certainly one of King Robbo’s tags in London from 1985. (King Robbo died in 2014.)
The murals tagged in New Orleans have been in place since 2008. The Grey Ghost, which depicts a person protecting flowers with grey paint, has been on view on the aspect of a constructing positioned on the metropolis’s Clio and Carondelet Streets. And Umbrella Woman, which exhibits a younger lady reaching her arm out from the quilt of her umbrella and is believed to reference Hurricane Katrina, may be discovered on Rampart Road.
Carlos Fundora, a New Orleans–primarily based road artwork tour information who reportedly eliminated a lot of the purple graffiti from Umbrella Woman after it was tagged, instructed the Publish, “There are individuals on the market who simply don’t like Banksy, and others who see destroying his work as a method of constructing a reputation for themselves, however preserving this mural isn’t even about Banksy for me. The individuals of New Orleans have misplaced loads this yr due to the pandemic, and this public artwork piece is a supply of consolation and pleasure for a lot of of them.”
Banksy has been a recurring topic of headlines this yr. Most just lately, the road artist created a brand new work depicting a sneezing lady on the aspect of a home in Bristol, England.