Banksy Artwork Vandalized In Bristol

Stories of the Banksy's artwork increasing property values across England have become a hot-button topic in the art world, but it seems the city of Bristol is not yet under Banksy's spell. The cultural center of South West England would seem to be the perfect place for Banksy's politically charged street art, yet the city has seen two separate incidents of the artist's work being covered over

The latest incident occurred across the street from the Bristol Children's Hospital, where BBC News reports that a Banksy piece was apparently vandalized with black paint. The piece depicts a crouched police officer touting a gun and a small child about to pop a paper bag behind him. The artwork appeared on Upper Maudlin Street nearly four years ago, but has since been covered up with black spray paint. It is not yet known if the artwork can be restored to its original quality.

A similar incident occurred in July at the North Bristol Social Club. The Eastville establishment's owner, Saeed Ahmed, mistakenly whitewashed an image of a gorilla wearing a pink mask by the renowned street artist. Ahmed apparently did not know of Banksy and apologized for the mistake. The artwork has since been partially restored.