World famous artist Banksy doesn’t often condone people taking his work from the street and selling it, but apparently he has made an exception for the Broad Plain Boys’ Club in Bristol. According to the BBC, Banksy sent a letter to Dennis Stinchcombe and told him, “Do what you feel is right with the piece.” The letter was confirmed as “genuine” to ANIMAL by the artist’s publicist Jo Brooks.
Last month, the head of the charitable organization caused an uproar when he removed it from public property and announced his plans to auction it off in order to fund the club which was in danger of shutting down, a position that I wholeheartedly supported. The local city council wasn’t thrilled about his plan and sent the police to seize the stenciled piece depicting two lovers embracing as they check their cell phones. It was then placed in the Bristol Museum, where it currently remains.
The typewritten correspondence, signed by Banksy, concludes with words attributed to the 16th president of the United States: “I assume you’re familiar with the quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln – ‘Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left behind by those who hustle.'”
