True to form, Anna Sorokin looked like a million bucks on Friday night in New Orleans, from her scarlet lipstick down to her ankle monitor. So…
In 2008, a secretive graffiti painter left extremely valuable artwork scattered around New Orleans. Banksy, the world-renowned British graffiti master, painted more than a dozen mini-murals, presumably intended to raise spirits and attract art-loving tourists during the city’s post-Hurricane Katrina recovery.
On Tuesday morning, one of those paintings was cut from the wall of an antique fire house at 514 Jackson Ave. and hauled away by the building’s owner. It was the last visible Banksy that remained in its original location. All others have been painted over, demolished or removed from the sites where they were painted.
The owner, Jaohn Orgon, says he hopes to have the painting restored in time to exhibit it for the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans Aug. 29, 2005.
In 2008, the fire house in the 500 block of Jackson belonged to restaurateur Greg Surrey and then-business partner Jaohn Orgon. Surrey said he was introduced to Banksy at the time and granted the internationally acclaimed artist permission to paint on the property.
In April the process had begun to remove a 2008 painting by the British graffiti superstar Banksy from the wall of of a 19th-century fire station on Jackson Avenue
In 2008, Orgon said, he saw that a scaffold wrapped in tarp had been erected on the side of the 19th-century brick structure, where the artist could work without being seen. He may have even laid eyes on the world’s most famous, yet least-seen artist. But at the time, he admits, he didn’t even know who Banksy was.
The 6-foot-tall, stencil-style design that Banksy produced depicted a stick figure pleading for mercy as it is painted over by New Orleans’ legendary graffiti foe, the late Fred “The Gray Ghost” Radtke. The painting – which even then might have sold for hundreds of thousands at auction – was protected by a fence.
Despite the barrier, a vandal attempted to splash the artwork with black paint. Happily, he or she missed, said Orgon, who is now sole owner of the property.
On July 15, a work by renowned English graffiti artist Banksy was cut from the wall of a historic fire station in the Irish Channel neighborhood and trucked away by the owner of the property
The painting was subsequently covered with a transparent plastic panel that prevented further vandalism.
Over the past 17 years, the effect of weather and Southern sunlight has faded the paint. However, Orgon said, the artwork is “in great shape for being so old and whatnot.”
A few months ago, when Orgon offered the historic property for sale, he began the process of removing the artwork and the estimated 5,000-pound section of brick and mortar that holds it. Photos taken on Tuesday morning show the rectangular portion of the wall, cradled in a steel frame, being transported to a flatbed truck by a heavy-duty forklift.
Orgon’s goal is to preserve and show the painting, he said. “Any restoration,” he said, will be “done appropriately.”
He hopes to find a New Orleans museum willing to put the heavyweight artwork on display in time for the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina at the end of August, he said.
On July 15, a work by renowned English graffiti artist Banksy was cut from the wall of a historic fire station in the Irish Channel neighborhood and trucked away by the owner of the property
Banksy’s small mural of the Gray Ghost with a stick figure is the fifth Banksy to be salvaged from New Orleans architecture for preservation.
Banksy’s so-called “Looters” and “Child on a Swing” are on display in the lobby of the International House Hotel at 221 Camp St.
Banksy’s version of cartoon character Bart Simpson can be seen at the Habana Outpost restaurant at 1040 Esplanade Ave.
In February 2024, Banksy’s painting of the Gray Ghost on the corner of Clio and Carondelet streets was removed for restoration.
In April 2024, Banksy’s “Umbrella Girl” was also removed from its location at the corner of Kerlerec and North Rampart streets for restoration.
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