Graffiti artist Banksy gave a £200,000 painting to a band after he accidentally ‘stole’ their name as the title to his new film – Exit Through the Gift Shop.
Exit Through the Gift Shop drummer Simon Duncan had been in the band for four years when he began receiving emails from someone claiming to be Banksy.
The ‘Banksy’ claimed he wanted to make up for using the band’s name and promised to paint them a new backdrop for their gigs if they agreed to change their name.
It turned out that the mystery man was the elusive graffiti artist Banksy and the band agreed to change their name and have now rebranded themselves as Brace Yourself.
True to his word Banksy sent a huge painting to his home featuring a black and white Grim Reaper driving a dodgem car.
Simon, 41, from London, said: ”We had these hilarious emails from someone saying he was Banksy but we didn’t know if they were genuine.
”Then a scruffy white van arrived. The driver had no idea what he was carrying. When we saw the painting we could not believe it.
”We had to insure it, so a man from Sotheby’s came over to see it in my loft.
”He said to me, ‘This is surreal. I have just been valuing an 18th-century portrait in a stately home, but it is not as valuable as this’.”
The Banksy painting has been valued at £200,000 but the band plan to display it at a gallery rather than sell it.
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I can’t believe that the fools accepted this crap by way of an apology by Banksy for “accidentally” stealing the name of their band. It is no way going to be worth £200K if they try to sell it. A blind baby with no limbs could have done a better job. It is one seriously unaccomplished piece of rubbish! He was taking the piss out of them, clearly! If I were this band I would return this laughable rubbish to Banksy and ask for a cut of the profits he made from his shockingly poor film. If Banksy says no I would advise this band to get themselves a lawyer and sue him for approxiamately £200K given that this seems to be the estimate Banksy has put on his “accidental” theft of their name.
Who valued this piece of rubbish? Banksy?! I suggest you try to sell it at auction somewhere and let’s see what the market really thinks it’s worth.
Ooops, apparently Sotheby’s valued it. Perhaps the band should try to sell it at a Sotheby’s auction for £200K. Go on, I dare ya. I will eat humble pie if it sells for £200K! Well actually I won’t. Why? At present the Banksy name will sell it, but I’m sure that in a few hundred years time it will be worthless, because objectively it cannot be described as anything other than very unaccomplished indeed.