In this artwork, how is the Removal and sale discussed?
The evocative piece received considerable damage due to repeated vandalism. These attacks were indicative of the country's attitude toward homosexuality at the time with London police reporting a 28% increase in homophobic hate crimes over the previous four years as of 2011.Due to the consistent damaging assaults to Kissing Coppers, Prince Albert Pub decided to have the piece removed and transferred to canvas, replacing it with a replica in 2008. The owner of the pub, Chris Steward, ultimately made the decision to sell the original. The sale occurred in February 2014 at an auction in Miami. It was sold for $575,000, which was considered relatively low based on previous estimates of it selling for closer to $700,000. The pub utilized the money from the sale to continue functioning in a competitive bar market.There was considerable backlash resulting from the sale. Many argued against the Pub’s decision advocating that the removal of Kissing Coppers was not only a devastating loss for the vibrant community of Brighton, but also a hypocrisy to the purpose of street art. Banksy, as a widely known and admired artist, could easily just create and sell his work privately for considerable sums of money, but instead he continues to pursue public street art. Therefore, some scholars see it as a wrongdoing to privatize what is deliberately meant for the masses.
Banksy Brighton