The work will have been even more ephemeral than Valentine's Day: Banksy unveiled a mural on the theme of domestic violence in the south-east of England on Tuesday.
But it was quickly weathered by overzealous cleaners.
In this mural by the mysterious street artist in the seaside resort of Margate, a housewife can be seen in a 1950s or 1960s look, disfigured by a black eye and a broken tooth.
Beside her, the legs of a man seem to protrude from an old, very real freezer, leaning against the wall.
On the ground around them are scattered objects, such as an old frying pan, a broken chair or an old bottle.
The work, titled
Valentine's Day Mascara
, was claimed by the artist on her Instagram account on February 14, a day considered in many countries to be the feast of lovers.
Amanda Barden, a 56-year-old resident interviewed by AFP, finds the work
"fantastic"
.
“It's a real subject that people can talk about domestic violence.
The reference to Valentine's Day also concerns people, it will open the dialogue
, ”she believes.
But at midday, men posing as agents working for Thanet District Council, which administers the town, removed the old freezer and other items, making it difficult to understand the artwork's message about the domestic violence.
Contacted by AFP, the district council could not be reached immediately.
The images showing the removal of these objects aroused indignant reactions on social networks, while on the spot, passers-by expressed their astonishment and incomprehension.
During the day, men posing as working for the district of Thanet in south-east England removed the freezer from the wall, blurring the message of the artist's work.
WILLIAM EDWARDS/AFP
“People were saying
stop, stop, you know it's a Banksy right?
“
, Says Laura Holden, a resident of Margate who attended the scene.
She wonders if this intervention of the municipal services was premeditated:
“perhaps Banksy had planned everything from the start”.
Asked by AFP just before the removal of the objects, the mayor of Margate, Heather Keen, affirmed that the city would
"seek how to protect
(the work)
and preserve it, because we are very proud to have it here"
.
“Commodification” of art
Three years ago, the mysterious artist from Bristol who works under a pseudonym, had already painted a work for Valentine's Day: a little girl firing a catapult at a bouquet of red flowers.
In 2018, a painting by Banksy entitled
La Fille au Ballon
partially self-destructed during its auction, thanks to a crusher hidden in the frame, causing amazement around the world.
Banksy intended to denounce the
"commodification"
of art, via this performance.
Back on sale under the new name of
Love is in the bin
(
Love is in the bin
), it was finally bought 21.8 million euros, a record for the artist.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Banksy has given his support to the Ukrainians.
In January, he put up for sale 50 serigraphs intended to raise funds for the benefit of civilians.
The artist had also posted in mid-November on his Instagram account a video compiling his stenciled works in the country, including the one representing an individual wearing a gas mask in Gostomel, thus confirming to be the author.