It is certainly street art... but is it Banksy in the capital?
A PAINTING of a girl looking down at a mobile phone, in the style of the elusive street artist Banksy, is drawing crowds to an alleyway near Edinburgh city centre.
The artwork in black appeared on a recently painted white wall in Grindlay Court, near the city’s Usher Hall, on Tuesday evening.
The young female in the painting looks strikingly similar to Banksy’s famous girl with a red balloon.
More than 100 people have already stopped to take pictures and selfies, in the hope it is a genuine artwork by the anonymous graffiti icon.
Kate Hermiston, 24, was among the first to see the new painting after it appeared directly opposite the Medusa Hair Salon where she works.
The senior stylist said yesterday: “I saw it on Tuesday an it’s directly opposite the salon so I know it definitely wasn’t there in the morning.
“A lady came in to the salon and said ‘have you seen the artwork across the road? – it looks like a Banksy.’
“We all went over to have a look. It certainly looks like a Banksy.
“It would be nice if it was an original.
“I like his work, but this would be the first piece I’ve seen properly with my own eyes.
“People have been stopping to look at it and take pictures all day.”
Miss Hermiston added: “As far as I know, nobody saw the artist do it, which is the Banksy way isn’t it?
“And one of my friends was at the Massive Attack concert in Glasgow on Monday night and said Banksy had been associated with the group.
“If that rumour is true it’s certainly a bit of a coincidence.”
Salon assistant Eilidh Dewar, 17, had her picture taken with the graffiti artwork yesterday.
She said: “I saw it on my way to work and had my picture taken with it. It’s very like Banksy’s work and do I believe it was him.
“It’s already become quite an attraction. Loads of people have been down to have a look at the painting and take pictures.
“If it is genuine, it’s the first one I’ve seen, so I hope it’s real.
“It would also attract a lot more people to this part of the city.”
If it is confirmed as a genuine Banksy, the image could be highly valuable. His artworks fetch thousands of pounds at auction, and last week an artwork that appeared on a garage in Wales just before Christmas was sold privately for more than £100,000.
Steelworker Ian Lewis, 55, from Port Talbot, sold the artwork, which has been titled “Season’s Greetings”, to an Essexbased gallery owner after it became a magnet for more than 20,000 tourists.