A statue of a man holding a flag covering his face, and signed ‘Banksy’, which has appeared in Waterloo Place in London, Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Kin Cheung/AP
Kin Cheung/AP
A statue that was erected mysteriously in central London early Wednesday has been confirmed as the work of the mischievous, often politically oriented artist Banksy.
The statue depicts a man in a suit hoisting a large flag.The flag’s cloth covers the man’s face, however, and his proud march appears to be courting disaster, as he steps off the plinth with no ground beneath him.
The statue appeared in public just as King Charles III made a state visit to Washington, D.C., New York City and Virginia, in which the king and Queen Camilla were feted by President Trump at a state dinner and during which the British royal addressed Congress, arguing for the importance of NATO.
The statue, which includes a Banksy signature on its base, was erected overnight on Wednesday. By Thursday, a video about the piece had been published on Banksy’s Instagram account, confirming it as his work. The video, set to British composer Edward Elgar’s 1901 Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 – whose melody was played at King Edward VII’s coronation – ends with a man telling the videographer how much he dislikes the work.
The statue is positioned in Waterloo Place, near heroic statues of King Edward VII and Florence Nightengale. It is unclear whether or not the artist received official permission for the installation; in an email to The New York Times, a representative for the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wrote: “Banksy has a great ability to inspire people from a range of backgrounds to enjoy modern art. His work always draws great interest and debate, and the mayor is hopeful that his latest piece can be preserved for Londoners and visitors to enjoy.”
On Friday, Westminster City Council said in a statement, shared with the Associated Press, that they have no plans to remove the piece, writing: “We welcome Banksy’s latest sculpture in Westminster, which makes a striking addition to the city’s vibrant public art scene. While we have taken initial steps to protect the statue, at this time it will remain accessible for the public to view and enjoy.”
Last September, the Royal Courts Service in London scrubbed away a freshly installed Banksy mural that had appeared two days earlier on a wall at its complex. The mural depicted a wigged judge attacking a protester with his gavel.
In March, Reuters published an investigation that identified Banksy as the British artist Robin Gunningham, an assertion previously made by The Mail on Sunday in 2008. Neither Banksy nor his representatives confirmed nor denied the Reuters story.
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هلدینگ کاسپین استانبول | خرید ملک در ترکیه | صرافی معتبر ایرانی در ترکیه | خرید و فروش طلا در ترکیه | مهاجرت به ترکیه | واردات و صادرات در ترکیه | نیازمندیهای ترکیه | اخبار ترکیه | اخبار جهانی | توریست ایران | خدمات توریستی در ایران | تورهای گردشگری ایران | هلدینگ اول | خدمات کاریابی و فریلنسری و شغل | مرجع اطلاعات ایران (همه چیز در ایران) | کیف پول و خدمات مالی و پرداخت یار | اخبار ایران | تابلو زنده قیمت ارز در ترکیه و استانبول | صرافی آنلاین ترکیه | قیمت طلا و نقره در ترکیه | سرمایه گذاری در ترکیه | جواهرات در ترکیه | نرخ لحظه ای ارزها در استانبول | قیمت دلار امروز در ترکیه | قیمت دلار استانبول امروز | قیمت لحظه ای دلار | اخبار روز ترکیه استانبول | اپلیکیشن ISTEX | اپلیکیشن قیمت لحظه ای دلار و یورو و لیر و ارزها در ترکیه
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