Excitement has built across the city over a piece of artwork on Ilkeston Road by Banksy. The piece is of a girl hula-hooping a bicycle tyre, next to a post with a broken one-wheeled bike attached to it.
The artwork is on the wall of Avi Hair and Beauty Salon, on the corner of Ilkeston Road and Rothesay Avenue. It is believed to have appeared there on Thursday 15 October. The elusive artist authenticated his work on his Instagram page on Saturday 17 October.
It comes as the city remains the highest in the country for coronavirus infection rates, with speculation mounting that Banksy could have chosen Nottingham for that reason. The area of Lenton also has a long association with Raleigh bicycles which could be another reason behind it.
An original piece by Banksy could be worth more than the premises alone. Banksy’s satirical painting of the House of Commons invaded by chimpanzees sold in the Sotheby’s Post War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale for £9.9 million on 3 October 2019. Several other pieces of his work have sold for prices in the millions.
Obviously the valuation of his public wall art is more complex, but owners of the bricks and mortar have previously sold the work on for six-figure sums as was the case with his Seasons Greetings piece from 2019, found in Port Talbot, Wales.
At the very least it’s a nice distraction for us all right now from being the current UK coronavirus capital. Cheers duck!
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
