A restored Banksy mural, titled “Holywell Row Happy Choppers”, will be auctioned off by auction house Anderson & Garland on March 20. The piece, which was painted over at one point, is expected to be sold for anywhere between $650K and $900K.
The mural, featuring a fleet of Apache helicopters with pink bows, was painted by Banksy back in 2006 at a building in London. The word about the work has quickly spread, causing the building owner to paint it over. They later sold the building without mentioning the existence of the mural.
The new owner only learned about Banky’s mural when they browsed through Martin Bull’s book BANKSY LOCATIONS AND TOURS and saw the photo of “Holywell Row Happy Choppers”. When they went to examine the location of the mural from the photo, they found the artwork covered with black paint with only a small part showing.
Wanting to salvage the piece, the building owner contacted the Fine Art Restoration Company, which has worked on restoring other Banksy murals in the past. The restoration team then proceeded to work for over a year on the mural before returning it to its former glory.
“Banksy is a real icon of our time. His art is so important to preserve for future generations,” said an anonymous seller in a statement shared by Anderson & Garland.
