Another mural from the ever-elusive Banksy has been spotted in the Big Smoke.
The artist’s latest creation has popped up on the exterior of the Royal Courts of Justice building in London, ArtNews reported on Monday. Banksy confirmed that the work was of his design in an Instagram post.
This time around, the artist, long known for his political activism, chose to depict a traditional judge, done up in a white wig and a black robe, hitting a protestor with a gavel. The image is etched in black and white, except for the red blood dotting the protestor’s sign.
The new mural appeared two days after a large protest in London, in which nearly 900 people were arrested for objected to a U.K. government ban of a group called Palestine Action, according to the BBC. The art has now been covered by large sheets of plastic and metal barriers, with two security guards posted nearby. Since the Royal Courts of Justice is a Grade 1–listed building, meaning that it has legal protections and it is “obliged to maintain its original character,” a spokesperson for HM Courts and Tribunals told the BBC.
Banksy’s artwork has long seen a subject of fascination in the art world and beyond, as plenty of his famed works have popped up throughout the years. And they often draw massive crowds, causing one couple who saw their home adorned with a Banksy mural to pay nearly $250,000 to get it removed back in 2023. Thieves, too, are clamoring to get their hands on his creations; last September, the burglars who snatched Banksy’s famed “Girl With Ballon” (worth $355,000) from the Grove Gallery in London were charged by police. His works even cause commotion on the auction market, with his “Crazy Horse” work from his 2013 residency selling for $160,000.
As for the fate of the Banksy mural on the Royal Courts of Justice, that remains to be seen—the same can be said for what spot the artist picks for his next work.
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