The new Banksy statue, depicting a man holding a flag which covers his face, is seen in Waterloo Place in Central London. The elusive street artist has now confirmed that he created the artwork. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty …
Street artist Banksy confirmed in a video that he created the statue that appeared in central London earlier this week and offered a glimpse of how he did it.
Big picture view:
On Wednesday, Londoners first spotted the statue, which depicts a man about to march off a plinth while carrying a flag that wrapped itself around his head, blinding him.
The statue bore Banksy’s signature, and a video posted onto Instagram briefly shows how it was unloaded in secret — as well as a man who told an off-camera interviewer that he did not care for it.
What's next:
Officials in the British capital welcomed the new work by the celebrated artist and told Reuters that they have no plans to remove it.
What they're saying:
"We welcome Banksy's latest sculpture in Westminster, which makes a striking addition to the city's vibrant public art scene," a council spokesperson wrote, indicating they have already taken steps to protect it.
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Dig deeper:
The statue sits amid other sculptures on a traffic island in Waterloo Place, near Buckingham Palace. It was placed close to those of King Edward VII and Florence Nightingale.
Banksy, whose work first appeared in the 1990s, is better known for his spray-painted art on buildings. The world-famous artist’s paintings and installations have been sold for millions of dollars.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from Reuters and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.