Banksy created nine animal murals across London in one week last August, including goats, elephants, monkeys, a wolf, a rhino and piranhas. Most of the pieces were removed, covered or vandalised soon after appearing. 'Piranhas' was relocated behind a Guildhall display for public viewing and has now been moved into storage. The City of London Corporation voted to donate the work to the new London Museum, which will open at Smithfield Market and plans to include the mural in its permanent displays in 2026. The acquisition expands the museum's historical collection to include contemporary street art alongside other exhibits.
Last August, slippery street artist Banksy went on a bit of a rampage. Over the course of a week, nine mysterious animal murals were plastered all across London. It started with a mountain goat in Kew Bridge West, then elephants appeared in Chelsea a few hours later, followed by a troupe of monkeys in Shoreditch, a howling wolf in Peckham, a virilous rhino in Greenwich and a shawl of piranhas spray-painted on a police sentry box in the City of London.
Like a lot of the artist's work, most of the pieces were swiftly removed, covered up or vandalised. Shortly after Banksy confirmed that it was his doing, 'Piranhas' was moved behind a display at the Guildhall for the public to admire from a safe distance. Now, it's been moved into storage ahead of going on permanent display at the new London Museum in 2026.
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