Alistair Hardaker
Image: Banksy's piranha artwork (City of London Corporation)
City of London Police box featuring piranha artwork moved to secure storage before museum’s Smithfield opening, spanning collection from Roman graffiti.
A piece of street art by Banksy which appeared in London last summer has been moved into the care of London Museum.
The City of London Police sentry box was spray-painted by Banksy with a shoal of piranhas in 2024, and one of a handful of animal-themed pieces to have appeared across London.
The artwork was then quickly moved by the City of London Corporation to Guildhall Yard, where thousands of people queued behind safety barriers to see the work. It was later moved to Guildhall’s South Ambulatory.
Now the piece is set to be put in secure storage until it goes on free permanent public display at the museum’s new home in Smithfield, opening next year.
Earlier this month London Transport Museum acquired and put on display a Banksy artwork that originally appeared on a Transport for London signal controller cabinet door in Croydon in October 2019. The acquisition marks the museum’s first contemporary street artwork by a globally recognised artist.
London Transport Museum acquires Banksy artwork for permanent collection
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.”
