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    British Courts Service Destroys Banksy Mural Depicting Attack by Judge

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    The work, painted onto the walls of one of Britain’s most important court buildings, showed a judge attacking a demonstrator with a gavel.The anonymous street artist Banksy caused a stir on Monday with a striking new work depicting a judge attacking a protester with a gavel, painted on one of Britain’s most prestigious court buildings.The image, in black and white, apart from a splatter of red on the demonstrator’s sign, appeared on an outer wall of the Royal Courts of Justice, an imposing London complex that houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales and is considered one of the most secure locations in Britain.Now, just two days later, Banksy’s latest work is gone.The complex had quickly moved to block the artwork from public view, moving large metal screens in front of it on Monday. Then, on Wednesday morning, visitors to the mural filmed a man, wearing a mask, scrubbing the image off the walls, with two police officers standing guard nearby.A spokesman for Britain’s Ministry of Justice said in an email that the work had been destroyed. The Royal Courts of Justice are a protected building under British heritage laws, the spokesman said, so the court’s service is “obliged to maintain its original character.”Historic England, which governs such building protections, says on its website that the 19th-century court buildings are “one of the foremost examples of High Victorian Gothic Revival design” in the country.A spokeswoman for Banksy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The artist posted an image of the artwork on Instagram on Monday, which is typically how he announces new work. His fans had widely interpreted the piece as a comment on the treatment of supporters of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian activist group that Britain’s government banned as a terrorist organization in July. Since the prohibition came into force, the police have arrested hundreds of people at demonstrations for displaying messages of support for the group.The mural by anonymous artist Banksy depicted a judge attacking a protester with a gavel.Toby Melville/ReutersAlthough some Banksy artworks have been delicately removed from walls and structures, large auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s don’t sell them, and the artist refuses to provide certificates of authenticity.Still, the decision to scrub the image off the wall perplexed some dealers in street art. John Brandler, a gallery owner who has traded several Banksy murals, said in an interview that he couldn’t understand why the court service had not hired him, or another dealer, to carefully remove the painting from the building’s walls so it could be sold to raise money for charity.“Yes, it was criminal damage,” Brandler said. “But why not use that criminal damage to benefit the community?”Brandler said that he believed the work could have raised up to 5 million British pounds, or about $6.8 million.Jo Maugham, a founder of the Good Law Project, the legal organization that filmed the mural’s removal and that has opposed the ban on Palestine Action, said in a statement that the British government should not be destroying a work by “an important artist” who had criticized government policy. More

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      Near Liverpool, a One-of-a-Kind Art Environment by Ron Gittins Is Saved

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      “The Minotaur Room.” All images courtesy of Historic England, shared with permission

      Near Liverpool, a One-of-a-Kind Art Environment by Ron Gittins Is Saved

      January 3, 2025

      ArtDesignHistory

      Kate Mothes

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      Behind the unassuming red brick facade of a gable-roofed flat in Birkenhead, England, sits a home like no other. The only clue passersby would have had, until recently, was a pair of hand-sculpted figurative columns that flanked the wooden front door. But to step inside this corner flat near Liverpool is to be transported into the imaginative world of Ron Gittins.

      A gifted artist who also dabbled in local acting groups and music, Gittins was a complex character. He took day jobs here and there, but he was much more inclined to work for himself, on his own terms. Anecdotally, he was known for his zest for life and determination to do great things; his sister recounts that he once exclaimed to their brother, “I will not be ignored!” His creativity shone through in every facet of his life, and his home is no exception.

      Hallway

      In a ground floor rented flat, which he let in 1986, Gittins created monumental hearths in the shapes of a lion, minotaur, and relief-adorned Roman altar. He painted bright murals inspired by ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, including a central hallway adorned with hieroglyphs. The columns at the front door were reminiscent of palatial stone depictions of pharaohs and deities.

      Gittins turned to the era of English romantic portraiture in one room’s Georgian era-inspired murals, which feature framed paintings in a row above an ornate hearth. And in the bathroom, the walls swim with aquatic-themed images.

      “Although Ron was extremely proud of his artwork, he generally refused entry to landlords, maintenance staff, and any kind of officialdom in order to protect the fantasy world he had created for himself,” says a statement from Wirral Arts & Culture Community Land Trust, which now owns and manages the property. It adds, “After all, not every property owner would allow their tenant to build an epic concrete lion fireplace in their living room.”

      Gittins’ tenancy agreement permitted him to “decorate the interior of the property to his own taste and the external porch in classical style without the prior written consent of the Landlord.” He also had access to the garden, which he was able to landscape at his own expense.

      “The Lion Room”

      Few people were granted the privilege of seeing Gittins’ creations during his lifetime, as he was protective of his art and preferred to maintain his privacy. He continued to collect unique objects and transform his home into his ultimate fantasy, his self-described “villa.” Then, following his unexpected death in 2019, its fate was suddenly uncertain.

      In December 2021, artist Jan Williams—who is also Gittins’ niece—along with Chris Teasdale of The Caravan Gallery, launched a campaign to save the flat. Along with a dedicated team of volunteers comprising family, friends, and experts in arts and heritage, a last-minute purchase at auction was successful in March 2023. Since then, the team has continued caring for the installations and sifting through the artist’s eclectic collection of books, magazines, videos, clothes, furniture, and trinkets.

      The Wirral Arts & Culture Community Land Trust continues to catalogue Gittins’ belongings and work to preserve this unique environment for years to come. Learn more and take a virtual tour on the organization’s website.

      “The Georgian Room”

      Ceiling of “The Georgian Room”

      The “Roman Altar” in the kitchen

      Bathroom

      “The Minotaur Room”

      “The Georgian Room”

      Exterior of Gittins’ flat in Birkenhead, England

      Front door columns

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      New Piece by My Dog Sighs in Plymouth, England

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      My Dog Sighs have just worked on a new wall in Plymouth, England during his book signing tour.“One of the things I’m known for are these glassy, reflective eyes and like there’s a cliche the eyes are the window into the soul. But, you know like our thumbprint, every iris has its own unique pattern and when you look into someone’s eyes, you can see a story reflected back…So for me, it was about trying to, maybe capture a little bit of the essence of Plymouth. And I know, the Anthony Gormley sculpture on the front is controversial, bit I think if it’s getting people talking, and that’s a really good thing. So I’ve hidden that inside the reflection of the eye” the artist said during an interview with Plymouth Live.My Dog Sighs has produced an art book based on his recent installation/exhibition. The captivating, beautifully produced photo book reveals all the artwork from INSIDE:We Shelter Here Sometimes as well as a comprehensive and candid documentation of the 18 month journey of the exhibition’s creation. My Dog Sighs has continued the multi layer intriguing theme with the book, creating a game-changing publication that breaks many conventions of the accepted norms of a high end coffee table art book. It is playful and, like the exhibition, encourages discovery of hidden elements that take time to reveal themselves.My Dog Sighs said “I’m a street artist, working on the street is my passion and at the core of everything I do. When Covid forced us all inside then I, like everyone else, had to change the way I work. This unleashed a surge of creativity which I channelled into my immersive installation and this book. This lovingly produced book is as much inspired by Kit William’s Masquerade as it is by the great street art publications. More

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      “Primavera -Spring Festa-” Solo Show by Takeru Amano at Moosey Gallery in Norwich, England

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      Japanese artist Takeru Amano comes to our Norwich gallery for his debut solo show at Moosey | Opening: Thursday, 31st March from 6-8pm. Born in 1977, the artist has exhibited all over the world from Tokyo, Hong Kong, to Paris, London and now Norwich (the cherry on top). Takeru lived in New York in the late 90’s before settling back in Japan, where a blend of Western iconography and Japanese neo-pop culture has gained him notoriety.‘Venus’, Acrylic on linen, 130cm x 100cmAmano’s subjects are often classic Western female figures who have a long history of appearing in painted form; think of Venus and the Virgin Mary. These mythological Greco-Roman icons are then depicted in a 20th Century Japanese style, clean and flat, splashed with Tokyo-pop neon colours. He playfully employs the innate freedom of painting, bending mythology to his own will and humour.‘Athena and Pegasus’, Acrylic on linen, 130cm x 130cmFor Primavera -Spring Festa- these icons return again, this time with furred and feathered companions. As the show title alludes to, these animals suggest spring time and the beginning of warmer weather; swans in lakes, dogs walked around parks, deer and horses galloping through floral fields. The colour palette also captures the season, with vibrant greens and yellows, deep blues, and faint pinks reminiscent of Japan’s cherry blossoms, a definitive signifier of the first blushes of spring across Tokyo. The compositions are airy and bright, leaving room for the spray of citrus and warming spring breeze.‘Artemis and Actaeon’, Acrylic on linen, 130cm x 100cm‘Venus’, Acrylic on linen, 80cm x 80cmThe appearance of animals also continues the artist’s amalgamation of mythology and pop. The Ancient Greek stories of Leda and the Swan, Artemis and the Deer Hunter, Pegasus sprouting from the blood of Medusa, have long been tackled by painters. Amano reimagines these myths in his own graphic Japanese style, flattening them and adding simple detail with delicate and fluid line-work.He removes the drama of the original tales, or at least the brutality between goddess and animal. Here instead, it seems they’ve partnered up, intimidatingly greeting you as you enter the gallery, unmistakably peering from their walls with blank but inescapable eyes. The mischievousness of Amano’s paintings is laid plain, the character’s languid expressions looking sardonically bored; fed up of being painted for centuries on end, fed up of being viewed, and staring back, unamused, giantly rendered and significantly bigger than you are. More

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      in Street Art

      Art Activations by Filthy Luker, Gabriel Pitcher, and more in Bristol, England

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      New art activations have been unveiled in Bristol as part of Vanguard x TOward 2030, What Are You Doing? – an on-street project aligning art with sustainable conversation throughout the city. Artists Richt, Peace of Art, Filthy Luker, Mau Mau, Gabriel Pitcher and Paul Harfleet are the latest artists to install works across the city, each inspired by one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligned with community action.Photo credit: Paul BoxEach artist has also partnered with a local community group to show how Bristol is localising global conversations on poverty eradication, environmental protection and societal equality. New activations will be popping up across the city throughout October. Artist duo Filthy Luker has taken over the rooftop of We The Curious, Bristol with an inflatable floral sculpture to amplify SDG15 Life on Land, in partnership with The Natural History Consortium. Photo credit: Paul BoxSavita Willmot is chief executive of The Natural History Consortium, a charitable collaboration of 14 organisations working together on a shared mission: to develop, test and disseminate best practice to engage everyone with the environment and natural world. Speaking on the collaboration with Filthy Luker, Savita noted how art is a powerful tool to spread environmental awareness:“This year city partners came together to create the first One City Ecological Emergency Strategy. Our challenge is to now bring these ideas to life across the streets of Bristol. Arts and culture are at the heart of our city, and harnessing the engaging power of art will be crucial to tackling our environmental emergencies.“Photo credit: Doug GillenGabriel Pitcher has partnered with community ambassador, The Global Goals Centre to paint a mural in St Werburgh’s, Bristol celebrating Bristol 17 hero Katie Cross, founder of Pledgeball. Pledgeball harnesses the power of football and its fans to accelerate the pursuit of global sustainability. Through affiliated clubs, it prompts fans into small lifestyle ‘pledges’ in support of their favourite team and their only planet and empowers fans by demonstrating the huge impact even small changes can make for the benefit of themselves and their environment.Photo credit: Doug GillenSpeaking on the collaboration Gabriel Pitcher said:“I’ve always been interested in exploring and documenting the stories behind the people I paint. This portrait celebrates Katie Cross, her sport and her effort to ignite that same curiosity and energy for engaging meaningfully with the conversation on climate action.”The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.The series of art activations is curated by Charlotte Pyatt and runs alongside the blockbuster exhibition Vanguard: Bristol Street Art running until 30 October at M Shed, Bristol. Photo credit: Peachy HannaCampus Pool Skatepark to celebrate the role of skate culture in fostering pathways into the creativity industries. Founded in 2011, Campus Skateparks is a not-for-profit organisation that uses the positive energy and influence of skateboarding to engage with children and young people. Through its work with different communities around Bristol, it focuses on promoting inclusivity in the skateboarding scene.Photo credit: Pete Metclaff for Fifth Wall TVMau Mau has teamed up with community partner Frank Water to reflect on our behaviour and attitude to water. His mural on Surrey St, St Pauls, also uses the Graphenstone paints and considers water as a global system and how our actions here affect water supplies across the world.The Vanguard team is made up of a collective of artists, specialists and collectors involved in the global street art movement. Their debut exhibition will be presented at Bristol Museums’ M Shed. The project is led by Mary McCarthy with creative direction from Charlotte Pyatt, art direction from Justin MacCarthy aka DICY, design direction from Graham Dews aka PARIS.Photo credit: PlasterVanguard’s Outreach and Art Interventions Partner TOward2030. What are you doing? is an award-winning cultural project conceived by Lavazza Group’s Sustainability and Communications Departments and executed in 2018/9 with the City of Turin. It strives to activate the dynamic energy of art on the streets to create a dialogue with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the host city. It aims to unite and inspire creatives and communities in a positive and meaningful way, using art as an accessible bridge to the goals. The project strives to encourage relationships between sustainability and the urban art community by fostering collaborations between cities, artists, organisations and NGOs.Check out below for more photos of the project. More

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      “Proud Little Pyramid” by Adam Nathaniel Furman in Kings Cross, England

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      As Pride month draws to a close, King’s Cross will explode with camp, colour and creativity as British Argentine-Japanese artist and designer Adam Nathaniel Furman unveils their ‘Proud Little Pyramid’ in Granary Square. Known worldwide for their irreverent architectural creations and infectious love of colour, pattern and ornament, Furman’s ‘Proud Little Pyramid’, which will remain in place throughout the summer, is designed to monumentalise joy during Pride after such a difficult year. The 31ft pyramid, which has communal seating integrated into its base, is designed to act as a beacon in the centre of King’s Cross signposting the entrance to Coal Drops Yard, reinforcing Granary Square’s reputation as a place for people to meet and come together.During the six-month residency – their first for a destination – Furman will use King’s Cross as a creative playground, delivering multiple ‘fabulous’ artworks across the site as well as a series of pop-up retail experiences, in person and virtual events. Furman will also launch and co-judge the destination’s first annual poster competition in the run up to London Design Festival which would be open to all with a prize value of £2,500 for the winning entry.  Up to 60 posters from the competition would be showcased during the autumn in the Outside Art Project, an outdoor gallery spread across King’s Cross.King’s Cross has built a reputation as a London arts and culture destination, using its public spaces and buildings to showcase artworks from a huge variety of artists and sculptors such as Eva Rothschild and Tess Jaray, street artists such as Andy Leek and Rana Begum, and painter and curator Rashid Araeen.“King’s Cross has been the backdrop for so much of my life – I have learnt, loved and laughed here. In the 90s I was regular at iconic nightclubs The Cross & the Scala and later a student and then teacher at Central St Martins. Whilst I have taken inspiration for my residency from King’s Cross’ recent queer history from the 80s through to the early 2000s, I have also looked back to London’s Victorian heritage in which dramatic monuments of all sizes, from water fountains and public loos, to tube stations, memorials and town halls  brought accessible decorative art to  public spaces. I want to make history – and its complexity- instantly present and fun. And the opportunity to use this vast and striking space – once my playground, now my canvas – is beyond thrilling.” Furman exlplains.Anthea Harries, Head of Assets for King’s Cross, comments “We are proud to be working with Adam Nathaniel Furman as our latest Artist in Residence. At King’s Cross we are committed to delivering outstanding places, and art is a fundamental part of that. We have been working with artists to create installations at King’s Cross for 15 years now and the site is home to numerous spectacular pieces that act as orientation points for meeting friends and loved ones, as well as to interact and play with. Now more than ever we need to bring as much joy and opportunity to everyday life as possible, and King’s Cross remains the ideal backdrop for embracing these simple pleasures and looking forward to the future with optimism.”Photo credits: John Nguyen/PA Wire More

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      “Inside” by My Dog Sighs in Portsmouth, England

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      An immersive installation by acclaimed British street artist My Dog Sighs opens this summer in an undisclosed location in Portsmouth. Inside is My Dog Sighs’ most ambitious project to date, transforming a derelict building into an immersive world inhabited by the artist’s own creatures, dubbed his ‘Quiet Little Voices’.Like us, these creatures are not perfect nor are their lives perfect. They struggle, they make mistakes, they fail. But like us too, they don’t give up. Even among the decay they use their creativity to find hope – a powerful message in these turbulent times. Street artists are often perceived as ghosts, with only the results of their endeavours visible to the world.My Dog Sighs takes these creatures, that started life as scribbled doodles in the margins of his sketchbooks and uses them to represent different facets of his life. Replacing himself with these beings as a representation of his inner ‘Quiet Little Voices’, they embody a range of emotions from playful to melancholic.For the first time, My Dog Sighs moves into sculpture, fusing his visual language with light and sound installations, alongside the photorealistic paintings and naive characters that define his practice. No longer is the artist the creator, but his creations take on the mantle of ‘My Dog Sighs’ and as viewers we are welcomed ‘Inside’ the world of these ghosts.The anthropomorphic creatures have been given free rein to take over the multi-storey space, finding shelter and creating their own language amongst the dimly lit corners. Inside responds to the building itself and finds beauty amongst its dilapidated floors and crumbling walls. The project extends My Dog Sighs’ street art practice where he uncovers the beauty of these forgotten spaces and demonstrates the power of creativity to inspire and uplift communities.The artist has worked closely with both sound experts from Portsmouth University and a renowned creative lighting company to create a unique and immersive street art experience.Visitors will be welcomed into the space by trained stewards who can provide insight into the themes explored in Inside. My Dog Sighs will also be leading specialist tours for artists during the exhibition to talk more about his life as a street artist working on both sanctioned and unsanctioned projects.Alongside the installation, My Dog Sighs will be releasing a feature length documentary and book about the project, as well as an educational pack designed to be used by teachers and students around the world. Taking inspiration from Inside, the pack provides young people with the creative tools needed to find hope in difficult situations and shows how they can use art to empower their local communities.Inside will open on the 16th of July and will run until August 1. Tickets will be announced through My Dog Sighs’ mailing list which can be subscribed to on his website www.mydogsighs.co.uk or follow him on Facebook or Instagram for more updates.My Dog Sighs’s style is characterised by the combination of melancholic and often naive portraiture with the use of found materials including abandoned food cans.With an incredible international following in Israel, Japan and of course the UK, five sold out shows under his belt, and a strong following of staunchly loyal fans on social media; My Dog Sighs is fast becoming an important figure on the contemporary art scene.Check out below for more photos of the installations. More

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      “Transcend” by Snik in Gloucestershire, England

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      Artistic duo Snik is back with a new mural entitled “Transcend” for Cheltenham Paint Festival in Gloucestershire, England. The artwork features their signature stencil technique. As stencil artists, they are traditionalists. Where others have moved on to the digital techniques, using laser cutting and computers to support their work, SNIK have remained true to the origins of their craft. They still painstakingly hand cut their complex multi-layered stencils.

      Nik Ellis and Laura Perrett the artists behind Snik are based in Stamford, UK. They have been working across the globe for over a decade, perfecting their skills to become one of the most progressive artists of their kind.
      Snik’s bold aesthetic is characterized by frozen scenes of dynamic action. Their work focuses on the ordinary, such as tangled strands of hair or the folds and textures of fabrics. These subtle aspects are elevated to hint to a deeper meaning. A meaning that remains elusive, for the viewer to draw their own meaning from.
      Check out below for more images of the stunning mural.

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