NEW YORK (AP) — When the mysterious street artist
Banksy
A heart-shaped balloon spray-painted and adorned with a Band-Aid on the wall of a Brooklyn warehouse turned the unremarkable brick structure into an instant artistic hub, transforming it into the setting for an unexpected graffiti showdown.
Hardly had Banksy unveiled the artwork in 2013 when an unidentified vandal boldly approached and
spray painted
The phrase “Omar NYC” appears in red next to the balloon, much to the disappointment of bystanders.
A few days afterward, “is a little girl” was spray-painted in white and pink next to Omar’s tag, with the ironic statement in black below it: “I remember MY first tag.” Many speculate that this addition might have been the work of Banksy returning incognito to include his response.
The supposed graffiti clash wasn’t over yet. Another spray painter tried to make their presence known but was thwarted by security personnel. As of today, the slogan “SHAN” remains visible in soft lavender paint.
Maria Georgiadis, whose family owned the demolished warehouse and eventually took down part of the wall to save the art piece, believes this graffiti collage perfectly encapsulates what it means to be New York City.
It seems like a battle is taking place,” she remarked lately. “They are essentially engaged in a fight on the wall.
Artwork up for auction
The preserved wall, dubbed “Battle to Survive a Broken Heart,” will be going up for sale May 21 at Guernsey’s, the New York auction house.
Georgiadis, who teaches in a Brooklyn school, describes the sale as bittersweet. Her father, Vassilios Georgiadis, operated his roofing and asbestos removal business from the warehouse decorated with the balloon.
Four years ago, he passed away at the age of 67 due to a heart attack. This is why part of the earnings from this sale will go to the American Heart Association.
It holds great importance for us because he adored it, and his capacity for love was immense,” Maria Georgiadis stated during a recent trip to the art storage facility where the artwork had been kept for over ten years. “I see it as akin to a bandaged heart. We all possess love, yet each of us has faced various challenges; we simply place a small Band-Aid over them and continue forward, correct? That’s my interpretation.
The approximately 4-ton, 6-foot-tall (3.6-metric ton, 1.8-meter-tall) segment of the wall is among several clandestine creations produced by the notoriously private British artist during his time as an artist-in-residence in New York City in 2013.
At that time, Banksy promoted the piece by sharing it on his website.
images along with an audio clip
captured partially with an unusually high-pitched, helium-like vocal effect.
Banksy might not have created a reaction piece to the graffiti artist.
The president of Guernsey Auction House, Arlan Ettinger, stated that it is difficult to be absolutely sure since Banksy operates secretly. However, he noted that the precise stenciling and phrasing “strongly indicate that this might have been an understated manner for Banksy to assert dominance over the other artist.”
Ulrich Blanché, who teaches art history at Heidelberg University in Germany, described the artwork as a “highly skilled” stencil that stands out primarily due to Banksy’s choice of location in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn’s harbor district.
This section of NYC wasn’t easily accessible back then,” he stated via email. “Banksy aimed to direct people towards areas in NYC they hadn’t explored before and develop an affection for these places too.
However, Blanche doubted whether the extra stenciled text was genuinely done by Banksy, noting that both the wording and design do not seem to align with the artist’s typical style from that period.
To refer to a graffiti artist as a ‘girl’ wouldn’t be something Banksy would do in 2013. It’s blatantly misogynistic and childish from a sexist perspective,” he stated. “Using three mismatched font styles along with three colors—why go for that? It seems overly complicated without justification. Therefore, I believe this addition came from another source.
Blanché expressed mixed feelings regarding the upcoming sale, pointing out that Banksy typically does not approve of selling his street art. Concurrently, he acknowledges the pressure faced by property owners to safeguard and upkeep these works.
“He argued that Banksy’s creations ought to be conserved for the communities they were intended for. These pieces shouldn’t become merchandise. They are crafted with a particular setting in mind; they aren’t meant to be moved or sold.”
Representatives for Banksy refused to comment on Friday.
Difficult to determine price
Anastasios, Maria Georgiadis’ brother, mentioned that their father also wished to preserve the item in Red Hook after removing it from the wall and securing it within a heavy steel frame for protection.
He mentioned that Mr. Georgiadis senior saw this project as the focal point of a combined residential and commercial complex on their land, an aspiration that remained unfulfilled. Since then, his heirs have put the property up for sale.
Ettinger mentioned that it’s challenging to predict what the artwork might sell for. He added that there isn’t much reference available for the auction price of a Banksy piece of this magnitude.
In 2018, an artwork from Banksy’s “Girl With Balloon” collection was auctioned off in London for £1.04 million ($1.4 million) but subsequently
famously self-destruct
in front of a stunned auction crowd.
Maria Georgiadis expressed her hope that the new owner of the “Broken Heart” discovers the same beauty and significance her father found in the artwork.
When Banksy created the artwork, the family business was rebounding from damaging floods triggered by
Hurricane Sandy
The previous year, Georgiadis remembers that her father had no clue who Banksy was, yet he was deeply touched by the straightforward image.
“She mentioned, ‘My father was convinced that Banksy understood our experiences,’” she recounted. “He would say, ‘Maria, can you imagine? It’s a heart.’”
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Philip Marcelo, The Canadian Press
