One of Banksy’s most beloved works is being sold at auction with the Bristol building it was created on.
The work, known as Well Hung Lover, shows an image of a man hanging from a window ledge as a cheated rival searches for him and a woman stands by.
It appeared in 2006 on the wall of a sexual health clinic, though the street artist is said not to have realised what the building was.
The estate agent Hollis Morgan is selling the building – and so the Banksy – with a new 250-year lease at an auction next year.
The building is a Grade II-listed Georgian property over five floors just off Park Street in the city, close to Bristol Cathedral and the University of Bristol. The basement operates as a nightclub but the estate agent says there is potential for conversion into student flats or apartments.
And then there is the question of the Banksy. The particulars mention it in passing: “In addition there is an original Banksy mural (Well Hung Lover) on the Park Street elevation.”
The estate agent says there is no official Bristol city council policy on street art, whether it is by Banksy – Bristol’s finest – or others.
It says: “It is recognised 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. 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.”
But it adds: “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.”
The auction, which will be streamed live, is due to take place on 12 February.
