Banksy festive artwork to be moved to England
THE Banksy artwork which stunned a steel town when it appeared on a garage in 2018 is set to leave Wales for a new home in England, it has been confirmed.
The artwork – entitled Seasons Greetings – will leave Port Talbot in January to be displayed at a street art exhibition in Peterborough.
Questions have consistently been raised about the future of the artwork since it first appeared just before Christmas 2018 on the side of a garage in Taibach.
It is believed to be the first Banksy street art to appear in Wales.
Garage owner Ian Lewis said at the time that he “didn’t know what to do” with the mural as thousands of people descended on the town to get a glimpse.
After sparking widespread interest and Welsh Government-funded around-the-clock security, the artwork was eventually bought by Banksy artwork collector John Brandler for six figures.
Brick by brick, the piece was then moved to a new location in Ty’r Orsaf, a development of commercial units in the town’s Station Road, where people could view it through glass.
Mr Brandler was told by the local authority there were a number of prospective commercial tenants for the unit, and an agreement was formed that the piece could stay until January 2022.
Neath Port Talbot council has now confirmed this agreement will come to an end in January and the Banksy will leave the town.
Following his latest communication regarding the artwork, Mr Brandler added: “There’s another town in England who want a street art museum and they will build it around the Banksy, which will attract 400,000 to 500,000 visitors a year and they are going to build a hotel for all the visitors.
“We did a show in Bury St Edmunds and it had 22,000 visitors and it helped to generate millions of pounds for the town.
“I gave my word it would stay in Port Talbot for two years and it has been there for three years.”
Mr Brandler insisted he has never had any issues with Pobl, which owned the Ty’r Orsaf site during the time the work has been there.
Mr Brandler added: “Pobl have been fine for three years. I am thrilled they will use the artwork as a backdrop for the Christmas celebrations, but by January 14 it has to be removed.”
He said he had been offered the chance to sell the artwork, but had yet to take up the opportunity.
“For three years a gentleman from America asked me to sell the Banksy to him,” he said. “There is no reason why not to sell it there.”
The Welsh Government has previously indicated that the Banksy’s future is a matter for Mr Brandler, the building owner, along with Neath Port Talbot council, as its officials’ interests ceased when the work was safely extracted.
In a statement, Neath Port Talbot council leader Ted Latham said: “I feel that because of the range of misinformation that is currently circulating regarding the impending departure of the Banksy mural Season’s Greetings, it is now appropriate to set the record straight.
“When the council made inquiries as to plans for the piece, given the temporary arrangement to house it at Pobl’s Ty’r Orsaf building is due to end in January next year, the council was informed it would now be moved to Peterborough where an exhibition of street art is due to be held, starting from next month.
“Discussions were held on future arrangements and the potential for the work to remain in Port Talbot, but the council was informed it would have to meet the costs of its removal and installation into the new venue, to continue to cover the insurance and to pay a fee in the region of £100,000 per year for the loan of the work.
“It has been estimated the cost of removal and relocation to another venue (even without insurance to cover the operation to move it) of Season’s Greetings would be around £50,000.”