Man Tries To Sell Stolen Banksy Art, Gets Schooled On TV Instead
Image via BBC
A brazen man has been criticized for going on television to try and sell a Banksy artwork, which he had pulled off a wall in Brighton.
The British man, who appeared on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, said that he had lived in Brighton in the 90s and early 2000s. He saw the artwork, which features a rat holding onto a drill, on the wall back in 2004, and it allegedly came off in his hands because it went “loose.”
“It looked loose, I went over—pulled it off basically,” he said with a little laugh.
He went on the show to get an evaluation from art expert Rupert Maas, and was told that the artwork could be worth up to US$25,000, though for the artwork to be valued it has to have a certificate of authenticity.
The man said he attempted to secure a certificate of authenticity but was unsuccessful, and now the artwork is worthless. He claimed he was certain that the piece was genuine as “Brighton was hit quite a bit by Banksy when he was down there around that time.” Maas, however, said, “I think the message is, if you do see a piece of graffiti art out there, leave it for the public.”
“I’m not lecturing you, I’m just saying, but without that certificate, it’s just very difficult to sell. With it, it might be worth 20,000. Without it, you’re nowhere. I’m sorry,” Maas added.
Social media users, however, were unsympathetic to the man and roasted him on Twitter. “Saw this Mona Lisa painting and noticed the bulletproof glass was ‘a bit loose,’” one person joked.
Nicely handled Rupert Maas #antiquesroadshow I can’t honest believe the brazenness of that guy asking for his stolen Banksy to be valued. 😤 @BBC_ARoadshow
— Lyndsey Mayhew 🌈 (@LyndseyMayhew) October 18, 2020
Saw this Mona Lisa painting and noticed the bullet proof glass was " a bit loose" #antiquesroadshow
— Michael MM (@mickmar29) October 18, 2020
Call the cops. He nicked it. The brass neck on that #antiquesroadshow pic.twitter.com/072OpOOrs8
— Spud (@PontWan) October 18, 2020
The Brass Neck on #antiquesroadshow gets better - the Banksy could be worth £20k but he can't get it authenticated as he stole it off a public wall in #Brighton - GOOD
— Emmajane37 (@emmajane37) October 18, 2020
I might just pop along to Tate modern and see if anything needs a little bit of ‘gentle persuasion’ #AntiquesRoadshow
— Carla Ray-Smith (@CarlaRaySmith1) October 18, 2020
Serves you right you thieving Bastard #antiquesroadshow
— Lindsay Cobb (@Lindsay_Cobb8) October 18, 2020
The guy with the Banksy
— Bilbo-Teabaggins (@BilboTeabaggin) October 18, 2020
“I saw it was loose.....”
So you nicked it...... #antiquesroadshow pic.twitter.com/3kN3oq1GBt
Epic fail, thought Rupert Maas was going to punch him #AntiquesRoadshow pic.twitter.com/00V9SPgqvU
— Sebastian Conway (@sebastianconway) October 18, 2020
The cheek of nicking a Banksy and then going on the #antiquesroadshow to get it valued.
— Kate Waugh (@katewaugh) October 18, 2020
Man on #antiquesroadshow who nicked a #Banksy from public domain tries not to look gutted when told it's worth nothing, because the artist won't verify it. Wonder how many £k he'll get for it?
— S-J The Imp 🎃 (@SJtheImp) October 18, 2020
[via News.com.au, cover image via BBC]
