''Slave Labour'' is a mural that was painted by a British graffiti artist,

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive ep ...

, on the side wall of a

Poundland Poundland Limited is a British variety store chain founded by Dave Dodd and Steven Smith in 1990, originally selling all of its items at the single price of £1. The retailer grew from a single location in Burton upon Trent, opening its hund ...

store in

Wood Green Wood Green is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, London, England. Its postal district is N22, with parts in N8 or N15. The London Plan identifies it as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London, and today it forms ...

, London in May 2012. The artwork is 48 inches (122 cm) high by 60 inches (152 cm) wide, and depicts an urchin child at a sewing machine assembling a bunting of

Union Jack The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

patches. The work was a protest against the use of sweatshops to manufacture

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

and London Olympics memorabilia in 2012. In February 2013 the mural was removed from its location and put up for sale at Fine art Auctions in Miami, US. After an appeal from the residents of Wood Green the mural was withdrawn from sale in the US and returned to the UK. It was sold at an auction in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, London for (USD) $1.2 million.

Removal and sale

There is controversy over the disappearance of the mural, as a portion of the wall was physically removed from the building the artwork was sprayed upon. The owners of the building have not commented on whether it was legally or illegally sold and removed. When the mural disappeared in February 2013 it was listed for sale on an on-line site and later appeared for sale at the Fine Art Auctions Miami for half a million dollars ($500,000). The auction house insisted the artwork was acquired through a legitimate transaction with a "well known" collector." The listing of the art at auction outraged some Wood Green residents, who believed the work was a gift to them, and that listing the artwork for sale at auction contradicted the wishes of the artist whose message called for an end to exploitation in the name of capitalism. Despite claims that the acquisition of the artwork was legitimate, the FAAM director Frederic Thut withdrew the artwork, even after three bids had already been placed. On 22 February 2013, a stencil of what is believed to be Banksy's signature rat holding a sign saying "Why?" appeared on the right of the area where the "Slave Labour" mural once stood, sparking views that it was a consolation to the community. To the left of that space, appeared the message ‘"Danger Thieves." The rat artwork was covered in plexiglass to protect it but a representative of Banksy claimed that the rat is a fake, and other Banksy enthusiasts agree.

Eventual sale of mural at auction

After protest from the residents of Wood Green the mural was returned to the UK. On 3 June 2013, it was on sold for over £750,000 (US$1.1m) by Bankrobber London at an auction held in the basement of the

London Film Museum The London Film Museum, founded and created by Jonathan Sands in February 2008, was a museum dedicated to the British film industry. It was previously known as The Movieum of London and was originally situated in London County Hall, County Hall, ...

by the Sincura Group. It was sold again in 2018 at

Julien's Auctions Julien's Auctions is a privately held auction house based in Beverly Hills, California founded in 2003 by Darren Julien and co-owned with Martin Nolan. They specialize in auctions of film memorabilia, music memorabilia, sports memorabilia, Fashio ...

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United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for $730,000 (£561,000) to artist Ron English, who planned to

whitewash Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes ...

the work in protest against purchases and sales of street art.

Interview with Banksy

When prompted to comment on the sale of his artworks through auction houses, Banksy replied by giving a quote from Henri Matisse: "I was very embarrassed when my canvases began to fetch high prices, I saw myself condemned to a future of painting nothing but masterpieces." Furthermore, in previous attempts to sell his artwork, he has stated his position, "For the sake of keeping all street art where it belongs I'd encourage people not to buy anything by anybody unless it was created for sale in the first place."

References

{{Use British English, date=April 2016 2010s murals 2012 in England 2012 paintings Murals in London Works by Banksy

Removal and sale

Eventual sale of mural at auction

Interview with Banksy

See also

References