London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 10, 2025

Landlord sells Banksy mural 'for £2,000,000' after ripping it off wall

Landlord sells Banksy mural 'for £2,000,000' after ripping it off wall

A Banksy mural ripped from a wall has sold for a rumoured £2 million, sparking outrage among residents of a seaside town.

Depicting a child with a crowbar next to a sandcastle, the graffiti had appeared on an old electrical shop in Lowestoft, Suffolk, in August.

Gary and Nadine Schwartz, the couple who own the building on London Road North, later removed the work of the world-renowned street artist and have now sold it privately.

But Nasima Begum, the deputy town mayor, branded it a ‘shame’ that the pair had decided to ‘profit off something that wasn’t for them’.

She added: ‘I’m sure Banksy didn’t put it on there in the hope that someone would profit from it.

‘It’s a real shame. The Banksy art created such a buzz and attracted so many visitors to the area.’

People had been flocking to the coastal town to check out the satirical work until it was removed in November.

The work, which depicts a child with a crowbar next to a sandcastle, appeared on the wall of an old electrical shop in Lowestoft in August

The owners of the property decided to tear out part of the wall featuring the grafitti, which was covered with a protective screen and wooden boards


At the time, some people argued that ‘this was not what Banksy had in mind for one of his master pieces’.

‘Crowbar Girl’ was one of 10 created in Norfolk and Suffolk by the elusive street artist, whose real name and identity are the subject of much speculation.

The former electrical shop had originally been on the market for £300,000 when the work appeared.

Shortly after, it was relisted for £500,000 after Banksy confirmed it was part of his ‘Great British Spraycation’ series.

John Brandler, who owns several Banksy pieces, believes the ripped out graffiti could have sold for as much as £2 million at auction

Initially, it was rumoured that the artwork was shipped to the prestigious Julien’s Auctions in California, US.

But it has now emerged that it never left British soil and has instead been sold to a private buyer for an undisclosed price.

John Brandler, who owns several Banksy pieces, believes that Julien’s low guide price – apparently $200,000-$400,000 – had deterred the seller.

He revealed that the mural could have sold for as much as £2 million at auction.

Previously, the collector had pointed out that this was a ‘missed opportunity’ for the town.

He told BBC: ‘Lowestoft was given a gift by Banksy; a golden opportunity to bring thousands of tourists into the town and help the local economy.’

The sellers have declined to comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
×