City's Banksy stored ahead of London Museum debut

"The museum obtained the Piranhas piece after the City Of London Corporation voted to donate it to the attraction. Head of curatorial at London Museum Glyn Davies said: "With the arrival of Banksy's Piranhas, our collection now spans from Roman graffiti to our first piece of contemporary street art. "This work by one of the world's most iconic artists now belongs to Londoners, and will keep making waves when it goes on show next year in the Museum's new Smithfield home.""

"Formerly the Museum of London, in December 2022 it permanently closed its site at London Wall in preparation for reopening in 2026 at Smithfield Market. The museum changed its name and branding to London Museum in July 2024. The City Of London Corporation allocated 222m toward the museum's relocation - which is expected to attract two million visitors every year and create more than 1,500 jobs."

"The sentry box had been in Ludgate Hill since the 1990s and was relocated to Guildhall Yard once the artist had confirmed it was his work. The Banksy work features the fierce fish in an 'aquarium' on the box and was part of the artist's animal-themed series across the capital last summer. Nine works, including a rhino mounting a car, two elephants with their trunks stretched towards each other, and three monkeys swinging on a bridge, appeared over nine days in August 2024."

The Banksy 'Piranhas' police sentry box was removed from Ludgate Hill, displayed at Guildhall behind safety barriers, and placed into storage for future exhibition. The City Of London Corporation donated the work to London Museum for inclusion in the new Smithfield location scheduled to open in 2026. The acquisition broadens the museum's collection from Roman graffiti to contemporary street art and is intended to belong to Londoners and continue attracting attention. The Museum of London closed its London Wall site in December 2022, rebranded to London Museum in July 2024, and received a 222 million allocation for relocation projected to draw two million annual visitors and create over 1,500 jobs.

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