Back in 2010,Banksy Headed to Los Angeles for the premiere of his documentary Exit Through the Gift. Not only that, he left a gift in the city before he left. Banksy left a mural of “Girl on a Swing” on the wall of a historic building. The word “PARKING” in red has a little girl hanging on the A word and swinging on a swing.
Now, after many years apart, the owners of the building, Tarina Tarantino and Alfonso Campos, have decided to sell the building. Built during the silent film era in 1914, the building is considered a historic landmark and was featured in the Harold Lloyd film Safety Last! Tarina Tarantino and Alfonso Campos purchased the seven-story, 26,000-square-foot building for $4 million in 2007 and recently applied forChapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
according to The New York Times The couple believe the building, excluding the frescoes, is worth $16 million, the couple noted. But because Banksy’s work is attached to the building, it is difficult to estimate. While it has been suggested that the next owner could buy the building and then remove and sell the Banksy work individually, Holly Dunlap, head of Sotheby’s Private Client Group, said: “We would never touch it because it wasn’t the artist’s intention. The way it sells. Whenever a building has Banksy’s work, Banksy is worth far more on the building than it is worth as a brick.”
Holly Dunlap estimates the 12-foot-by-33-foot Banksy mural could sell for at least $10 million, and he agrees that serious art buyers can’t own the Banksy work without buying the building . Tarina Tarantino and Alfonso Campos ultimately hope that the building will sell for $30 million, including the frescoes. The bid will close on October 6, and interested readers may wish to learn more.