A Banksy mural depicting a man hanging out of a window to avoid his love rival is heading to auction along with the building it was painted on.
The Well Hung Lover-titled artwork was created in 2006 on the side of a sexual health clinic in Bristol, UK. Banksy, a Bristol native, later revealed that he had been unaware of the building’s specific use at the time.
Real estate agent Hollis Morgan is auctioning the property, a Grade II-listed Georgian building with five floors. The sale, which includes a new 250-year lease, is scheduled for next year. Located near Bristol Cathedral and the University of Bristol, the property also houses a nightclub in its basement. Hollis Morgan has highlighted its potential for conversion into student apartments.
As for the mural’s future, Hollis Morgan noted that Bristol City Council lacks an official policy on street art, regardless of its creator. “It is recognized that street art is created not as a permanent work of art but as a form of protest which is usually, but not always, created illegally and without the permission of the owner of the building,” Hollis Morgan told the Guardian . “As such, the life of any image as a work of art will evolve and change over time depending on how the work weathers or indeed is subsequently painted over or removed.”
The property’s guide price is just under $900,000, a stark contrast to Banksy’s Love is in the Bin, which fetched over $23.5 million at auction. However, prospective buyers looking to sell the Banksy mural separately will face restrictions.
Hollis Morgan also said that “Accordingly the purchaser will be required to accept a restrictive covenant in the lease ensuring that the image cannot be removed from the building, however, the vendor will not require a positive obligation on the purchaser to maintain the artwork or insure it for as long as it shall remain visible and in place on the building.”
