2023-07-20 16:30:00
A man was cheeky enough to steal, in front of witnesses and in broad daylight, a monumental statue of Banksy. But he in turn got robbed…
By Artips For Le Point.fr In 2004, a certain Andy Link, alias AK47 (on the left, here in 2015), stole a monumental statue of Banksy, The drinkerinspired by Thinker by Rodin. © Vianney Le Caer/AP/SIPA / SIPA / Vianney Le Caer/AP/SIPA Published on 07/20/2023 at 4:30 p.m.
London, March 2004. It is an unusual theft that is taking place. In front of witnesses and in broad daylight, men driving construction machinery steal a statue of the famous artist Banksy! And that’s no small feat, since The drinkerinspired by Thinker by Rodin, nevertheless weighs several tons. The statue is immediately hidden in a secret place…
At the head of this operation is a certain Andy Link, alias AK47. He would have stolen the statue out of revenge, upset by Banksy’s refusal to sign one of his works for him. Very sure of himself, AK47 offers to make The drinker in exchange for a copious ransom of 5,000 pounds sterling (about 5,750 euros).
Rebound
But Banksy, prankster, makes a counter-proposal: pay him just enough to buy a can of gasoline to destroy the statue! It must be said that Banksy is stuck. An emblematic figure of urban art, he produces most of his works in the street or on walls, which makes his activity illegal. He cannot therefore file a complaint, nor even claim the paternity of his works under his real name. AK47 therefore becomes the owner of the Drinker and installs it squarely in his garden.
READ ALSOLondon: when Banksy calls on his subscribers to vandalize a shopThe story could have ended there. But, in 2007, a new twist! The sculpture is again stolen from the garden of AK47… The drinker reappears ten years later in the catalog of the Sotheby’s auction house, with an estimate of one million pounds. AK47 tries to file a complaint to recover the statue, but without success. This is called the sprinkler sprinkler.
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#Banksys #Drinker #Stolen #Thief