Major update in ongoing Banksy saga as mysterious artist’s controversial mural is REMOVED and carried away in truck
A BANKSY mural at the centre of a long-running saga has been removed and carried away by a forklift truck.
The artwork dubbed “The Valentine’s Day Mascara” has finally been cut out of the building in Margate, Kent, and taken away to a new location.
The work depicts a 1950s-style housewife with a black eye and missing tooth pushing her abusive husband into a freezer.
Since appearing last month the piece has been embroiled in controversy with Thanet District Council and an art gallery repeatedly removing and returning the freezer for safety reasons.
But now it looks like the artwork has found a more stable home after workmen could be seen carrying a huge chunk of the wall away.
The entire wall containing the mural was removed from the side of the house in the seaside town and has been transported to an art conservator.
The piece, thought to be worth several million pounds is set to be transported to the Dreamland theme park at Margate, where it will be displayed for the next 12 months.
The mural is owned by the London-based Red Eight Galleries.
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A statement from Red Eight Gallery and Dreamland Margate said: “Banksy’s artwork Valentine’s Day Mascara has today been removed from its original location by a skilled team of professionals and taken to an art conservator in Faversham.
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“There it will be prepared for its eventual installation at Dreamland Margate where it will be on display for the public to see.
“The date of the unveiling at Dreamland will be announced in due course.
“Julian Usher from Red Eight Gallery and Eddie Kemsley from Dreamland are delighted that they have been able to help the artwork’s current owner achieve their dreams for it and look forward to revealing it in its new home at Dreamland.”