A Banksy artwork is at the centre of a legal row after the East London club on whose wall it was painted claimed it was removed without permission and put up for sale in the United States.
The piece, titled Yellow Lines Flower Painter, was created in 2007 on the exterior of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. It shows an exhausted worker in dungarees slumped on a tin of paint, next to a flower sprouting from the street’s double yellow lines.
The artwork is now in Colorado and listed for sale, prompting the club’s trustees to launch a lawsuit against its long-time events programmer, Warren Dent, and other parties, according to the Financial Times.
The club’s former accountant at Capital & Co says Dent purchased the artwork in 2019 for £20,000 with the agreement of club secretary Stephen Smorthit.
Dent later hired art restorer Chris Bull to remove the piece from the wall and restore it. Bull says the work was then loaned to his father’s art gallery in Aspen, Colorado, for an exhibition in 2024, following a meeting with Dent and “three members of the club”.
Before being transported to the US, the artwork was given an insurance valuation of around £557,000 — significantly higher than the amount Dent is said to have paid for it.
However, a lawsuit filed last month by three of the club’s trustees claims they never authorised the sale and are demanding the work’s return. Trustees Alan Milliner, Paul Le Masurier, and Kerry Smorthit — the daughter of the club secretary — argue that Dent does not own the artwork and cannot legally sell it.
As well as Dent, Bull’s company Fine Art Restoration has also been named in the lawsuit. Bull told media: “We’re only named because we’re in possession of the work and we’re up for giving it up if we’re asked to.”
Banksy is one of the world’s most recognisable street artists. His works are known for tackling issues such as war, inequality, consumerism and government corruption. His most valuable piece to date sold at auction in 2021 for £18.6 million.
Banksy’s wall paintings are particularly difficult to value or sell. His official authentication body, Pest Control, does not provide certificates for works created on walls, which significantly reduces their marketability to major auction houses.
Last year, a Banksy mural depicting helicopters with pink bows — removed from a Shoreditch office block — failed to sell at auction despite being estimated at £500,000. It had no certificate of authenticity.
The artist is also said to disapprove of his works being removed from public walls, although his former manager, Steve Lazarides, has previously remarked that such removals are "part of the game".
Last month, Banksy posted an image of what appears to be his latest work, sparking speculation it is located in Marseille. The painting features a lighthouse with the words: I want to be what you saw in me.
