Banksy rat awaits fate as pub goes for auction
Liverpool auctioneer Sutton Kersh will include the Whitehouse pub on the corner of Berry Street and Duke Street in its next sale on 18 February.
The secretive Bristol-based graffiti artist was commissioned to create a piece in the Ropewalks area of the city for the 2004 Liverpool Biennial art festival. The giant rat holding a marker pen next to his red zig-zag doodles have been a prominent landmark ever since.
Sutton Kersh has set a guide price of £80,000 but the value only covers the building and does not include its worth as a work of art by one of the most famous contemporary artists in the world.
Whether the artwork is retained remains the decision of the purchaser. The panel of hoarding containing the Banksy signature, or tag, was stolen some years ago.
James Kersh, director of auctions at Sutton Kersh, said there has been strong pre-auction interest and the price may well exceed that of the guide.
- The sale is on Thursday 18 February at the Marriott Hotel in Queen Square, Liverpool city centre.
g;lad to see he’s mentioned here with a marker. why do people insist on saying it’s holding a machine gun? huh? Guns are not very Banksy unless stuffed with flowers. it was an art festival. clue,?
By yobart
I love the way the article states in such a matter of fact way that the signature was stolen some years ago. No surprise, no shock. But then it is Liverpool lol
By Manc
It looks like it’s in shocking condition. Such a shame
By Ian Richards
Should the sentence about the stolen tag begin a) Inevitably, being Liverpool,…b) Sadly and rather surprisingly,… or c) There was no outcry and absolutely nothing was done when…
By grant mitchell
And Manchester is a crime-free place to live is it?
By Scouser
Hope it gets demolished. It looks s*** at present.
By anon
vision should combine a few directorships and use the spare cash to buy this and turn it into a chinese enterprise centre, or student cafe – it’s next to jmu and liv commnty collge buildings. anything but demolition. it’s the biggest banksy in the country for christ’s sake.
By bunk
Great idea, bunk. Lets waste some more tax payers.
By ANON
out in March. http://www.banksyfilm.com/
By me