Did they steal it?? Packard Plant art going for 1 mill possibly.

[Dan Wesson]

http://www.mlive.com/business/detroi..._more_business

http://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/ro...nt?oid=2202108

[1953]

They took it from a property they didn't own and they admit it - seems an open and closed case of theft to me. They certainly can't sell it legally, and they might rightly face criminal prosecution.

[aoife]

Looks like Palazuelo, the new owner of the Packard Plant, is trying to get it back. I hope he does not have to buy it from 555.

A cool quote from the article: “I think the history of the Packard Plant is not only the history of the first half of the century — 1903 to 1956 — but it’s also the history from 1956 to today,” Palazuelo said. “The graffiti artists have been playing a big role, and Banksy is the start.”

http://www.freep.com/article/2014082...t-graffiti-art

[davewindsor]

http://www.freep.com/article/2014082...t-graffiti-art

Looks like Palazuelo, the new owner of the Packard Plant, is trying to get it back. I hope he does not have to buy it from 555.

A cool quote from the article: “I think the history of the Packard Plant is not only the history of the first half of the century — 1903 to 1956 — but it’s also the history from 1956 to today,” Palazuelo said. “The graffiti artists have been playing a big role, and Banksy is the start.”

Of course he'd have to buy it back from 555. The gallery bought it for $2,500 from the previous owner. They have legal title. No ones going to forgo a quarter million to a million bucks in a broke city like this where most people even refuse to pay parking tickets and property taxes. That's a lot of money for salaries and other things for their gallery--from the article: "In the wake of the publicity, a company aligned with the then-owner of the Packard Plant sued the gallery for its return. Eventually, 555 paid $2,500 for clear title and the work went on display at the gallery, a renovated old police precinct in southwest Detroit." Even non-profits have been known to pay their employees huge salaries. And let's not forget what city this gallery is in.

[rex]

"the graffiti artists have been playing a big role, and Banksy is the start" ???? the start of what? Graffiti at the Packard Plant? Banksy isnt graffiti and the Packard Plant was smashed out more than a decade before that little tree boy thing. 555 is completely classless for taking that wall in the first place and now they're trying to profit a million dollars? What was that article saying? That wasnt a Banksy to begin with? It was a couple kids from Hamtramck.
GOOD. Someone should forward that story to anyone that is looking to purchase that fake Banksy. Shame on 555. Bunch of dbags

[davewindsor]

... That wasnt a Banksy to begin with? It was a couple kids from Hamtramck.
GOOD. Someone should forward that story to anyone that is looking to purchase that fake Banksy. Shame on 555. Bunch of dbags

Unbelievable. What a bunch of scammers at 555. It's certainly sounds like a fake. No certificate of authenticity. No signature. Just the gallery owner's word that they saw it on Banksy's site in 2010. Why isn't it on there in 2014 when the article was written? Plus Matthew Naimi and Carl Oxley came forward and said they painted it. By the gallery owner's own logic, I can call any old unsigned painting I buy at a garage sale for $5 a Van Gogh, Warhol, Banksy or other famous artist and ask a million dollar markup just by saying oh you've got my word I saw it in a catalogue years ago, but I can't seem to locate that catalogue with it in there anymore.

http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detr...ow-up-for-sale

After the plan to sell was announced, Matthew Naimi, from the Detroit company Recycle Here, came forward with a claim that could impact those plans.
“Carl and I painted that piece,” said Naimi.
He’s talking about Carl Oxley, a Detroit artist also known as “popartmonkey.” He paints mostly bright, happy, cartoon-like pieces. His typical work is not at all like the believed Banksy piece at 555.
Naimi says he is not an "artist" just a garbage man who loves art.
“The only reason we are coming forward now is they are trying to profit from somebody else's work,” said Naimi.
Naimi says he and Oxley don’t want money. They just don’t want their work sold, and especially not sold as a Banksy piece.
At gallery 555, they’re not buying it.
“It was on Banksy’s site in 2010,” said Goines.
When I asked Naimi why it was on Banksy’s site, he had his own explanation.
“He put a pic of my piece up… maybe he likes my work,” said Naimi.
In the meantime, artists that work at 555 say they believe the piece would better serve the art world somewhere else. What they really need are resources to promote and create art.

[Hermod]

What they really need are resources to promote and create art.

Do like the famous painters did. Find a patron and paint flattering portraits of their ugly wives and daughters in exchange for for three hots and a cot and the ability to do their own "art" in their spare time.

[Detroitnerd]

Do like the famous painters did. Find a patron and paint flattering portraits of their ugly wives and daughters in exchange for for three hots and a cot and the ability to do their own "art" in their spare time.

From serving the church to serving the royalty to serving corporations, a lot of artists are whores. But not all of them. And probably not Banksy.

[Gistok]

At gallery 555, they’re not buying it.
“It was on Banksy’s site in 2010,” said Goines.

Hehehe... anyone who knows a whit about art ain't going to buy into that flimsy type of provenance....

[1953]

I have 25 Banksy's that I swear are authentic in my desk drawer...I will part with them each for the paltry sum of $100,000. Any takers?

[Whitehouse]

They took it from a property they didn't own and they admit it - seems an open and closed case of theft to me. They certainly can't sell it legally, and they might rightly face criminal prosecution.

You are right about that but the actions of 555 may also have saved this mural for posterity. No doubt this mural would have been defaced within days if it hadn't been removed. Thank to them it still excists.

On the other hand one can also argue if streetart was ever meant to stay there forever. Street art is ever evolving.

But since the world has gone cookoo, even this kind of art has a lot of monetairy value. And on a personal note,I would love to have some Banksy on my walls.

I highly recommend you watch the documentary "Exit through the giftshop" directed by Banksy. It's available on youtube. And if you've got a digital tv plus Chromecast plugin, you can watch it full screen.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KT7lurG6zyA

[Honky Tonk]

It's evolved to a large scale form of vandalism.

[Richard]

I have 25 Banksy's that I swear are authentic in my desk drawer...I will part with them each for the paltry sum of $100,000. Any takers?

If you are into barter,I do have a bridge that I got a few years back,maybe an even swap?

[Django]

I believe its authentic and Im glad they preserved it. Thats a million that will hopefully go back into the art scene in Detroit. If they had not grabbed it it would be rubble right now. If your a street artist spraying brick that you dont own I dont think you have the right to say thats mine, leave it alone. I understand Banksy will not admit to doing that piece and I respect that more than anything. I just hope the 555 use the money well to reinvest in Detroits rich art scene.

A few weeks after that Banksy was found there was supposed to be another one found inside the Packard, I want to say it was a parrot. I tried for hours to get through security just to get a glimpse of it but they had 24 hour patrols guarding it. I still dont know if the second piece actually existed. Was supposed to be in the building North of Grand. Anyone know?

[Detroitnerd]

A few weeks after that Banksy was found there was supposed to be another one found inside the Packard, I want to say it was a parrot. I tried for hours to get through security just to get a glimpse of it but they had 24 hour patrols guarding it. I still dont know if the second piece actually existed. Was supposed to be in the building North of Grand. Anyone know?

I believe the other piece in the Packard was a bird in a cage, Django. I heard the owner of the place at the time, the one who settled with 555, got it.

I heard there's also a "secret" Banksy nobody ever found, and that it's in Corktown, although I'm not sure if that was a hoax or not.

[Jimaz]

Did Palazuelo become aware of the Packard plant because of the Banksy controversy?

That would be a nice feather in Banksy's hat.