The Season’s Greetings artwork was carefully lifted by crane before being loaded onto a lorry and escorted by police to its new home.
Banksy’s Season’s Greetings mural has been removed from a steelworker’s garage and relocated to an art gallery.
The relocation of the piece from a row of garages in the Taibach area of Port Talbot brings to an end months of planning as engineers worked out how to remove the two external walls and transport them intact.
On Wednesday the artwork was carefully lifted by crane before being loaded onto a lorry and escorted by police to its new home at Ty’r Orsaf in Port Talbot’s town centre where it will remain on display for at least three years.
It was covered in resin to stop it from cracking and covered in plastic sheeting, wood, and a metal frame to protect it during its mile-long journey.
Engineers spent around two hours carefully lowering the two external walls featuring the stencil painting onto a dolly outside the new gallery, which was then used to successfully pull it inside.
A bottom layer of bricks had to be removed by workers before it was able to fit inside the building.
Essex-based art dealer, John Brandler, 63, who bought the mural for a “six figure sum” in January, said he was “relieved” the operation had been a success.
He told the Press Association: “We can see there’s no damage, we can see it’s perfect. It’s wonderful. I’m just so relieved it’s finally here.”
He added: “This has put the town internationally on the map.”
But Mr Brandler, said he had met resistance to his plans to turn the gallery into an international street art museum which would have other renowned street art and Banksy pieces he owns on display, which he says would attract 150,000 people a year.
He said: “If the people of Port Talbot want an international street art museum, fine. But I was talking to somebody from the Welsh Assembly who says they want to turn it into a contemporary art museum.
“There are five international museums for street art. New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Munich. This would be the sixth one. So people would travel from all over the world.
“But all I get is ‘Banksy isn’t Welsh, is he’.”
Mr Brandler bought the The Season’s Greetings mural from steelworker Ian Lewis, 55, after it appeared on the two external walls of his garage in December.
Mr Lewis, who had earlier said he did not think he would miss the mural, said he was “really happy” it was staying in Port Talbot.
He told the Press Association: “I am really happy it’s staying here. I think I made the right decision and I’m pleased it’s all done with.”
He said Mr Brandler was paying to restore his garage.
LONDON (AP) — It was nice while it lasted.
An environmentally themed mural by elusive street artist Banksy that appeared last week on a London street has been encased in plastic and surrounded by fencing after an apparent act of vandalism.
The work is on a four-story wall near a public housing project. Beside a real and severely pruned cherry tree, the artist stenciled a small figure holding a pressure hose. Swathes of green paint across the wall stand in for the tree's absent leaves.
The work quickly attracted crowds including Banksy fans from around the world. Two days later, it was splashed with white paint.
The mural was then covered in transparent plastic by the building's owner, and a sign appeared saying the area was under video surveillance.
On Wednesday, workers began to erect wooden boards around the site.
The local authority, Islington Council, said it was fencing off the site to protect the art and residents from the impact of visitors.
People look at a new Banksy painting on a wall in London, Monday, March 18, 2024. A new Banksy mural drew crowds to a London street on Monday, even before the elusive graffiti artist confirmed that the work was his. The artwork in the Finsbury Park neighborhood covers the wall of a four-story building and shows a small figure holding a pressure hose beside a real tree. Green paint has been sprayed across the wall, replicating the absent leaves of the tree, which has been severely cropped. Banksy claimed the work by posting before and after photos of the location on his official Instagram account.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
“We’ve had a lot of concerns from our residents about disruption from the numbers of visitors to the artwork, which is right outside their homes,” the council said in a statement. It said the fencing would include clear plastic panels "to protect the artwork and allow clear views.”
Banksy, who has never confirmed his full identity, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the world’s best-known artists.
His work has sold for millions of dollars at auction, and past murals on outdoor sites have often been stolen or removed by building owners soon after going up. In December, after Banksy stenciled military drones on a stop sign in south London, a man was photographed taking down the sign with bolt cutters. Police later arrested two men on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.
The latest work would be harder to take down since the piece relies on the tree for its impact.
Islington Council said it would monitor the site and "continue to explore future solutions with the building owner so people can enjoy the artwork.”
A new Banksy painting is seen on the wall of a building in London, Monday, March 18, 2024. A new Banksy mural drew crowds to a London street on Monday, even before the elusive graffiti artist confirmed that the work was his. The artwork in the Finsbury Park neighborhood covers the wall of a four-story building and shows a small figure holding a pressure hose beside a real tree. Green paint has been sprayed across the wall, replicating the absent leaves of the tree, which has been severely cropped. Banksy claimed the work by posting before and after photos of the location on his official Instagram account.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
People look at a new Banksy painting on a wall in London, Monday, March 18, 2024. A new Banksy mural drew crowds to a London street on Monday, even before the elusive graffiti artist confirmed that the work was his. The artwork in the Finsbury Park neighborhood covers the wall of a four-story building and shows a small figure holding a pressure hose beside a real tree. Green paint has been sprayed across the wall, replicating the absent leaves of the tree, which has been severely cropped. Banksy claimed the work by posting before and after photos of the location on his official Instagram account.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Boarding is put up next to the Banksy artwork on the side of a residential building in Hornsey Road, north London, Wednesday March 27, 2024 which has been covered in perspex sheeting for protection. An environmentally themed mural in London by street artist Banksy has been encased in plastic and surrounded by fencing after an apparent act of vandalism. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)
Boarding is put up next to the Banksy artwork on the side of a residential building in Hornsey Road, north London, Wednesday March 27, 2024 which has been covered in perspex sheeting for protection. An environmentally themed mural in London by street artist Banksy has been encased in plastic and surrounded by fencing after an apparent act of vandalism. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)
