New Banksy tree mural is COVERED UP with plastic sheeting & wooden boards after it was ‘vandalised with white paint’
A NEW Banksy tree mural has been covered up with plastic sheeting and wooden boards.
The elusive artist claimed the graffiti as his own in an Instagram post after it appeared in Finsbury Park, north London, on March 18.
The day after confirmation of its origin, an unknown person threw white paint over part of the mural, leading to concerns about further attempts of damage.
Now the landlord of the building has covered the street art with perspex for protection.
Banksy had sprayed green paint on the building behind a cut-back tree, creating the impression that its branches were filled with leaves.
A stencil of a person holding a pressure hose was also painted onto the wall.
The vivid paint colour matches that used by Islington Council for street signs in the area.
Islington Council also said it had erected fencing, camera surveillance and ordered visits by community officers to manage on-lookers to help protect the artwork.
“It’s sad to see the piece has been defaced,” an Islington Council spokesperson said.
“We are discussing future solutions with the homeowner, to enable everyone to enjoy the artwork while protecting it, the tree, and the surrounding area.
“We’re also in the process of installing a CCTV camera.”
It comes after snaps of a mystery man next to the new Banksy fuelled speculation the artist’s identity had finally been confirmed.
Onlookers were convinced he looked similar to Robin Gunningham – who many people believe to be Banksy after mysterious photographs appeared to show him working on a famous mural in 2004.
Conspiracy theorists went wild as the man was also papped sporting similar specs to those worn by Mr Gunningham.
But The Sun tracked down the man who confirmed his name is actually George Georgiou.
The 67-year-old builder claims he is the dad of the graffitied building’s landlord, Alex Georgiou, and is installing perspex to protect the art.
Waiting for materials to be delivered on Monday, he told The Sun how “all hell broke lose” after the work appeared in Hornsey Road.
He said: “Instead of just whipping a picture, they should’ve just said who are you? Would’ve been so much easier.
“It’s nonsense. I’m the landlord’s father. I know nothing at all about the work.
“We found out at about 3pm on Sunday afternoon. One of the tenants rang my son up and told him.
“That was it, the rest of it was speculation. Then it was confirmed Monday, Tuesday.
“Monday evening they done that (chucked white paint on it), and ripped a big chunk out the middle of it.”
George said he’s spent nearly £2,500 on perspex for the mural so far and has 24/7 security protecting it.
Despite shelling out a small fortune on protective measures, he has no plans to sell the work and isn’t even a fan of it.
He explained: “I’d like to get a roller and go over it, get it over and done with, just paint it.
“It’s not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination.
“It’s for the public really. Unfortunately, there are a bit too many jealous people around.
“Am I fan? I dunno, not a thing I have ever really thought about. We are running round like headless chickens trying to protect it.”
BANKSY MYSTERY
Many believe they have found “evidence” to suggest Robin Gunningham is Banksy.
Both Banksy and Gunningham appear to live in the same locations at the same time artwork pops up.
In 1998 Gunningham was living in Easton, Bristol, and at the same time Banksy painted the famous Mild Mild West sign, which shows a stuffed bear with a Molotov cocktail.
Banksy’s signature artwork was then found in London in 2000, the same year Gunningham lived in a flat in Kingsland Road, Hackney.
Another piece of evidence some people say points towards Gunningham is items he left behind in his Bristol home.
He lived there with pal Egan but the property was bought by Camilla Stacey, a curator at Bristol’s Here Gallery, in 2000.
She claimed the artist had lived at the house because he left pieces of artwork behind.
Camilla said: “I bought the house that he used to live in. He had rented out a room but I think there had been problems with the tenants and the landlord had to sort of repossess it or whatever, so he was just selling it.
“When I moved in, the place had been covered in graffiti and stuff like that. I threw things in the bin.”