England, couple have Banksy mural removed from their home: it had become a nightmare

For some it might be the dream of a lifetime to see a mural by a famous artist appear on the outside wall of their home. If the artist in question is Banksy, the world’s most fashionable and famous street artist, let alone how one might react, perhaps if one is among his fans. However, a married couple from Lowestoft, a town of just under 60,000 on the Suffolk coast of England, does not think so. Garry and Gokean Coutts are in fact the owners of a property on which, in 2021, Banksy created a large mural depicting a seagull as part of his Great British Spraycation series. The two, in August two years ago, had seen scaffolding popping up in front of the wall, but thought the scaffolding had been installed by the city to make repairs. Then, a few hours later, came the surprise.

Today, almost two years later, they have instead decided to have the work removed, in a very expensive operation, moreover, since the two still wanted to preserve the mural: the tear-down cost a whopping 200,000 pounds (about 230,000 euros). The idea is to sell the work on the market to cover what it has cost the Coutts so far, both to maintain it and to remove it. This is because the work has increased the value of their property, but the Lowestoft Town Council, which immediately saw the mural as a tourist attraction, has imposed strict maintenance of the mural on the couple, with costs estimated at about 40 thousand pounds a year, much of it to hire a night watchman: since the work appeared, in fact, some unknown people have begun stealing fragments of it and then reselling them on the Web. Still others have tried to deface or cover up the work. In short, constant vigilance was needed to prevent the work from being damaged. “A nightmare,” cut Garry and Gokean Coutts short, speaking to the Times.

An unaffordable amount for a retired couple. Hence, the desire to have the mural removed. “At first it was unbelievable,” Mr. Coutts told the Daily Mail, which broke the story. “However as time went on it became extremely stressful. I’m not sure Banksy realizes the unintended consequences of his works on property owners. If we could go back in time, we would.”

Now the affair has ended with the removal of the mural, an operation approved by the city council: a 22-ton work, removed in a single tear. The Coutts’ intention, in addition to selling the work to recoup their losses, is to replace it with a replica. Many citizens, reports the Daily Mail, were dismayed by the Coutts’ decision: “Banksy gave the city the most extraordinary gift, and it has been lost,” said one local art dealer. A gift for the city, but a nightmare for the Coutts. They could make a six-figure sum from the sale, however.

England, couple have Banksy mural removed from their home: it had become a nightmare

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