In October 2003, Britain's "most celebrated graffiti artist" Banksy, famed for spray-painting subversive images (riot police with smiley faces, the Mona Lisa firing a rocket launcher) on walls and bridges around London, visited Britain's prestigious Tate gallery. Wearing prosthetic make-up to disguise his appearance, Banksy snuck into the heart of the building, removed a framed painting from his bag, and glued it to the wall. Beside the work (a rural scene with an image of police tape stencilled over it), the artisit placed a card reading: "Banksy 1975. Crimewatch UK Has Ruined The Countryside For All Of Us. 2003. Oil On Canvas."
The ruse was only discovered when the impostor painting crashed to the floor several hours later.
["The artist," the caption explained, "has found an unsigned oil painting and then stencilled police incident tape over the top. He argues that ruining the work in this way reflects how our nation has been vandalised by an obsession with crime and paedophilia." Banksy's work, it noted, "is inspired by cannabis resin and daytime television."]
[Banksy once posted the words "Designated Riot Area" at the foot of Nelson's Column.]
Sources
ananova.com, 17th October 2003
