Banksy has been back in the news lately, not for making art but for the destruction of his artworks.

Banksy tried to destroy one of his own famous pieces “Girl with Balloon”, by rigging a frame with a shredder. It was a bit of a fail, but he tried.

Now, a US artist, Ron English dropped some serious cash on Banksy’s “Slave Labour” with the intent to whitewash it out of existence.

English bought the artwork – originally painted on the outside wall of a bargain shop in north London in 2012 – for $730 000 (R10 349 953), reports CNN.

The piece, which depicts a child on his knees next to a sewing machine, was removed from the wall only to resurface months later at an auction in Miami. The lot was withdrawn after protests, but the artwork was eventually sold in London in 2013.

“Slave Labour” was sold again on Wednesday at Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles. English, who bought the piece, told the UK’s Press Association news agency that he planned to whitewash it “for my good pal Banksy.”

“This is a blow for street art. It shouldn’t be bought and sold,” English — who is a street artist himself and has gotten arrested many times for using public billboards, ad spaces and other highly visible spaces for his paintings and sculptures — told Press Association.

“I’m going to paint over it and just include it in one of the walls in my house,” English said. “We’re tired of people stealing our stuff off the streets and reselling it so I’m just going to buy everything I can get my hands on and whitewash it.”

He says that he plans to sell the whitewashed artwork for a million dollars, adding: “I’m crazy but I’m not stupid.”

The commercialisation of street art has the graffiti community divided. On the one hand, the ability to make a living off of one’s art frees up the time and energy to make more art.

You can check out some of our local graffiti artists talking about their work to get an idea of the scene.

On the other hand, the political undertones of street art can be severely compromised when all it serves is the market value of the piece.

[source:cnn]