Well, Saeed Ahmed says he’s never heard of Banksy, nevertheless, he pleads, “I didn’t it know it was valuable. That’s why I painted over it. I really am sorry if people are upset.”

The head conservator of the International Fine Art Conservation Studios has been called in to attempt to excavate the piece out of the white paint.

Bristol’s City Museum & Art Gallery (home of last summer’s Banksy vs Bristol) and LA’s Corey Helford Gallery team up to bring 45 artists with visual assortments “from pop surreal and neo-figurative to street art” to the UK.

Highlights to be featured: live painting of murals and a fifteen-foot tall “ice cream cone balloon structure” by Buff Monster, Mike Stilkey’s ten-foot sculptural work from 2000 books and wandering, visitor-pestering wierdos dressed as Gary Baseman art characters.

“Urban and Contemporary” artists participating:

JOSH AGLE (SHAG), JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER, CHRIS ANTHONY, VAN ARNO, GARY BASEMAN, RAY CAESAR, COLIN CHRISTIAN, SAS CHRISTIAN, LUKE CHUEH, COOP, DAVE COOPER, RON ENGLISH, NATALIA FABIA, KORIN FAUGHT, SARAH FOLKMAN, MELISSA FORMAN, AJ FOSIK, CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA, MERCEDES HELNWEIN, DAVID HOCHBAUM, SYLVIA JI, ERIC JOYNER, DAVE KINSEY, KUKULA, JOE LEDBETTER, HENRY LEWIS, LOLA, TRAVIS LOUIE, MICHAEL MARARIAN, ELIZABETH MCGRATH, MIA, BRANDI MILNE, BUFF MONSTER, MICHAEL PAGE, MARION PECK, JOSHUA PETKER, CARLOS RAMOS, JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ (KMNDZ), GRETCHEN RYAN, MARK RYDEN, TODD SCHORR, KATHY STAICO SCHORR, MIKE STILKEY, GREG SIMKINS (CRAOLA), JOE SORREN, DAVID STOUPAKIS, ADAM WALLACAVAGE, MARTIN WITTFOOTH, KENT WILLIAMS

“Art From the New World,” Group Show, May 1 – Aug 22, Bristol’s City Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, UK

It’s hoped that formalizing the policy will not only help the City Council avoid destroying sanctioned public art, but also possibly valuable vandalism. Not surprisingly, the proposed measure, which could enrage anti-Banksy activists, has drawn the ire of art critics, including one who believes “Banksy should have been put down at birth.” |Guardian|

Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty

Hours after shooting up one of Banksy’s murals, unknown vandals struck again, firing shots at the millionaire street artist’s “Mild Mild West” piece in Bristol. Similar to yesterday’s attack on his “Windows Lovers” painting, blue paintballs were splattered across the work—earlier this year it was splashed with washable red paint by Appropriate Media. While a local politician was busy cleaning off the ‘Lovers’, the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft got to work cleaning the latest barrage.

Photo via BBC

Photo via This is Bristol

Following this morning’s photo and video preview, here’s footage of “Banksy Versus Bristol Museum,” an enormous exhibit taking place in the elusive street artist’s hometown. Instead of an overexcited host explaining away the art, you get Banksy and his assistants smashing statues and putting the finishing touches on the show.

Tomorrow, the Bristol Museum opens without their regular artifacts. In their place: robotic cops, a burned out ice cream truck, Guantanamo prisoner effigies, animatronic animals and the sort of tongue-in-cheek pseudo-political paintings you’ve come to expect from millionaire street artist Banksy. Of the roughly 100 works on display in “Banksy versus Bristol Museum,” more than 70 of the pieces are brand new, while some others, like the portable toilets from Bog Henge and chicken nuggets from the Village PetStore & Charcoal Grill, are reworked. Pulling off the hometown show in secrecy meant keeping all but a few people in the dark, including Museum staff and city officials for who the show’s takeover is a surprise. The BBC helps break the silence with a video tour below as well as photos of the new exhibit.