Banksy Painted a Satellite Dish. It Was Nearly Instantly Stolen.

Banksy, the pseudonymous street artist and political activist, is known for his satirical work. Using a distinctive stenciling technique, the nameless, faceless artist often provides political and social commentary through his graffiti, which is usually found on walls, bridges, and other city structures.

Originally from the Bristol underground scene of the 1980s, he doesn’t typically sell or license his art. But that doesn’t mean his work never changes hands—or moves from the street corners where it starts.

A recent Banksy artwork was just installed in London and apparently stolen. Featuring a wolf howling at the moon and painted on a satellite dish, it was briefly displayed on top of a building on Rye Lane in Peckham. In broad daylight, three men climbed the building—using a ladder they brought with them—to scale the building and grab the Banksy piece.

While many bystanders witnessed the incident, taking photos and videos (like the one below), no one seemed to try to stop the guys as they ran off with their new work of art.

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This is actually the fourth new Banksy piece to be stolen in the UK in recent months—and people are getting a kick out of it. In fact, one Instagram user pointed out that this is exactly what Banksy stands for.

“Stealing anything Banksy is a part of the piece,” they wrote. “What don’t y’all get? It’s performance art. I’m sure Banksy has no problem with this.”

That commenter might be right: On his website, Banksy himself states: “I wrote ‘copyright is for losers’ in my (copyrighted) book and still encourage anybody to take and amend my art for their own personal amusement, but not for profit or making it look like I’ve endorsed something when I haven’t.”

🇵🇸 A piece of art made by Banksy showing solidarity with those suffering in Gaza was stolen less than an hour after it was confirmed to be legit. pic.twitter.com/G1HDjZwaIF

— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) December 22, 2023

As something of an anti-capitalist prankster, he’s even helped his own art disappear. 

In 2018, a woman spent £1 million at Sotheby’s on a famous Banksy painting—only for it to be immediately shredded by a device that the artist had previously installed in the frame. Funnily enough, the original buyer still agreed to keep the half-shred piece of art.

Many argued this only added to its character. Maybe that’ll be the case with the stolen satellite dish?