Banksy statue Pall Mall, London: Guerrilla artist officially claims work depicting man striding off plinth with billowing flag
It’s official, Banksy is responsible for the flag man statue in Pall Mall, London.
Guerrilla artist Banksy was behind a mysterious statue that appeared in the centre of London this week. The sculpture - which depicted a man striding off a plinth with their face smothered by a billowing flag - appeared on a plinth in Waterloo Place, just off The Mall, and bears Banksy’s signature.
Now, the famed art rebel has officially claimed the work, which sits on a traffic island in Pall Mall, where Banksy said there "was a bit of a gap", near statues of Edward VII and Florence Nightingale, and the Crimean War Memorial.
It is believed the statue was installed at some point in the early hours of Wednesday (April 29), with the artist claiming responsibility the following day.
Banksy, whose real name has never been officially confirmed, has become famous across the world for politically-charged murals, including 2002’s Girl With Balloon, 2003’s Love Is In The Air, and 2004’s Kissing Coppers.
The artist claimed an artwork of two figures that appeared on the side of a building in Bayswater, London, in December.
In September, Banksy made headlines with a mural depicting a protester lying on the ground, holding a blood-spattered placard, while a judge, in a wig and gown, looms over him, wielding a gavel.
The painting appeared on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, in the Royal Courts of Justice complex, however it was swiftly covered up and guarded by security staff, before work began to remove it.
The art was interpreted by some as a comment on the arrest of hundreds of people for supporting Palestine Action by holding up placards at protests.