Banksy's Venice mural has been restored and will now tour city

"A Banksy mural removed from the façade of a 17th-century palazzo in Venice last year will tour the canals of the lagoon city this weekend after having been restored. According to Venezia Today, the revitalised work known as Migrant Child, was unveiled yesterday near the Arsenale, a Biennale site, following extensive conservation funded by the banking group Banca Ifis."

"Migrant Child, which shows a child holding a flare in her hand and wearing a life vest, was sprayed onto a wall of the Palazzo San Pantalon, a lavish three-story residence on a canal in Venice's Santa Croce district, in 2019. Positioned just above the canal's waterline, it is one of only two works of art in Italy officially attributed to Banksy."

"The mural-seen as a reference to the global refugee crisis-became a popular tourist attraction but six years of neglect and exposure to the elements caused it to fade, with about a third of the work having deteriorated. It underwent analysis and restoration under the supervision of Federico Borgogni, who also oversaw the 2021 removal of Banksy's Aachoo! from a Bristol house."

"In an online statement, the bank says that "Banksy's work will once again be made accessible to the public as part of [some] free projects organised by Ifis art [the bank's cultural arm] in agreement with the authorities responsible for the protection of Venice's artistic heritage." Banca Ifis was contacted regarding whether the mural would be returned to Palazzo San Pantalon."

A Banksy mural titled Migrant Child was removed from the facade of Palazzo San Pantalon in Venice and restored after years of neglect. The work, created in 2019, shows a child holding a flare and wearing a life vest, positioned above the canal waterline. It became a tourist attraction but faded, with about a third deteriorated due to exposure to the elements. Conservation was funded by Banca Ifis and supervised by Federico Borgogni, who also oversaw the removal of another Banksy work in Bristol. The bank says the restored mural will be made accessible to the public through free projects organized by its art arm in agreement with heritage authorities.

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