A building that features one of the first murals by the mysterious and elusive guerrilla artist Banksy is to be auctioned next month.
Titled The Mild Mild West, the mural is painted on the side of a building that houses several empty rental homes and shops in Bristol.
It was inspired by an incident in 1999 when riot police clashed with partygoers at a warehouse on Winterstoke Road and is believed to be one of Banksy's earliest works.
The artwork depicts a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at police officers in response to violence.
The building – complete with mural – will be auctioned on November 20 for £750,000.
A building that features one of the first murals by the mysterious and elusive guerrilla artist Banksy will be auctioned next month.
Titled The Mild Mild West, the mural is painted on the side of a building that houses several empty rental homes and shops in Bristol.
The exterior of the building seen with the mural seen from above
The building's owner bought the property for £55,000 in 2000 after Banksy painted the mural.
The property is made up of two HMO-licensed four-bedroom maisonettes which were previously rented to students for £2,750 and £3,000.
Jim Paine, owner of the record store next door, said he held the ladder while the Bristol-born artist painted the wall.
In 2012, he wrote in Banksy's Bristol: 'We did it in broad daylight, over three days. I held the ladder for him and kept watch.
“He wasn't satisfied with the police officers after he made his first draft, and if you look closely, you'll see that he tweaked the outlines of the police officers. Banksy is a perfectionist.
'I love the way the teddy bear looks a little unstable, a little clumsy… he looks kind of docile. It's a simple piece, but there's a lot to read.
Mr. Paine was one of those present at the warehouse party 25 years ago. He said the crowd that night on Winterstoke Road “was assaulted by the police, along with members of the sound system” who were playing.
He said this “marked the beginning of a tougher approach by the police, using violence as a method to break up parties”.
He added: “Banksy's first project had a building on fire, with a looter fleeing the inferno with a loaded shopping cart. But then I started talking to him about the Winterstoke Road episode. That's what gave him the idea for the play.
'I said that as far as social expression goes, we felt quite oppressed. We were ordinary, cute, partying people, and we were being intimidated by the police with riot shields and batons.
“The teddy bear was his idea. A teddy bear with a Molotov cocktail in his hand – showed a mix of tough and cuddly that was the setting for the free party.
A protective fence has been erected in front of his painting in Finsbury Park, north London
A Banksy artwork in north London was defaced just three days after it surfaced
Auctioneer Hollis Morgan said he expects “huge interest” in the building “because he’s a local boy.”
A block of flats in Finsbury Park was painted by Banksy earlier this year.
They are now estimated to be worth £1.3 million by their owner, who bought them for £400,000 in 2012.
Sadly, the tree mural was defaced after just three days – with vandals throwing white paint over the new north London artwork before a local authority erected a metal security fence.
The damage was revealed after the street artist previously confirmed he was behind a mural that appeared overnight on the side of a block in Islington.
The artwork in Finsbury Park shows green paint behind a bare tree to resemble foliage, with a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose pictured alongside.
Local residents said they felt “proud and delighted” at the idea of the anonymous artist choosing their street for his latest mural when it first emerged – although there were concerns that their rents could now “skyrocket”.
Last year, a new Banksy was stolen from a south London street in December, less than an hour after it was revealed to be genuine.
A man in a red jacket climbed the pole to get to the sign
A man was seen knocking down the sign using pliers – balancing on an electric bike to allow him to reach it. The e-bike driver was curious and did not commit the robbery
The artist confirmed that the artwork – a road sign covered by three military drones – was his in an Instagram post shortly after noon.
The revelation caused a stream of residents to invade the site and take photos of the installation on their phones.
But at around 12:30 p.m., the peaceful scene was shattered by the arrival of two men, one of whom was balancing precariously on a Lime electric bike as he hurriedly cut the sign with a pair of pliers.
The e-bike rider, who asked to be called only Alex, said he “watched in awe” as the man “hit” the sign with his hands as he balanced on the saddle.
The man who removed the sign, who was wearing a red jacket, fled with it just 60 seconds after onlookers shouted at him to stop. He left the pliers behind.
The extraordinary scenes took place at the junction of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham, close to a zebra crossing.
Banksy's works have sold at auction for millions of pounds.
