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A new Banksy artwork, the fourth in his cryptic animal-themed collection, was swiped today just one hour after it debuted in London.
A painting depicting a howling lone wolf appeared on a satellite dish in Rye Lane, Peckham today but was quickly dismantled and carried away by a group of masked and hooded men.
The alleged theft rings echoes of a similar incident last year where another piece by Banksy – a traffic stop sign with three military drones – was also taken.
The stop sign, which appeared at the junction of Commercial Way in Peckham in December last year, was chopped off with bold cutters quickly after it was unveiled.
Both pieces were snatched just an hour after the artist officially unveiled them.
A painting depicting a howling lone wolf appeared on a satellite dish in Rye Lane, Peckham today but was quickly dismantled and carried away by a group of masked and hooded men
The alleged theft rings echoes of a similar incident last year where another piece by Banksy – a traffic stop sign with three military drones – was also taken in Peckham
Banksy had only unveiled his latest artwork on Instagram at 1pm today, but the piece was removed within minutes.
The striking image of the canine howling into the night sky formed the latest addition to the Bristol-based street artist’s growing animal-themed collection across London.
Based on Rye Lane, Peckham, the satellite dish had been placed atop what used to be a Betfred betting shop.
It is believed the satellite dish used by Banksy was a fake one which wasn’t installed at the site, as a Google street view from 2023 shows it was not previously there.
Members of the hooded group were pictured scoping out the scene before returning five minutes later with a ladder which was placed against the boarded up shop.
Photos from the incident also shows the gang round up a man and launch his phone into the air after he tried to stop them.
The Banksy press team told the BBC they ‘believed’ the artwork had been stolen, but followers have questioned whether the theft just another stunt by the artist.
The man scrambling up the side of the building to get the Banksy’s piece of art within minutes of it being posted
A hooded man with a mask holding the satellite dish while stood on top of the building
The artwork of the howling wolf being carried along the street by one of the individuals involved as a co-conspirator follows with a ladder
Two of those involved in the removal of the Banksy, five minutes before coming back with a ladder
The pair are seen scoping out the area before returning several minutes later
A witness to the removal of the Banksy artwork has described his encounter with those taking it.
Tom Kellow, who lives in Peckham, said he had decided to walk down to Rye Road to see the artwork on his lunch break.
He said: ‘I was walking down around 1pm and saw three guys nicking it.
‘They had a ladder. There was one guy on the roof and the other two were watching the ladder.
‘They saw me filming and it got a bit tetchy. One gave me a kick in the side and another tried to throw my phone on the roof. Luckily it hit a tree and came back down again.
‘I told a police officer in the area about it.
‘It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things and it’s a shame it couldn’t have lasted more than an hour.’
Painted in black against a greyish white satellite dish, the artwork seemed to depict the lone wolf in the background of a full moon.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘We were called to reports of a stolen satellite dish containing artwork at 1.52pm on Thursday, 8 August in Rye Lane, Peckham.
‘There have been no arrests. Inquiries continue.’
Four elusive murals painted by Banksy have popped up around London this week. Followers are questioning whether the location has any relevance to what they mean
A man wearing light blue shorts at the end of the high street in Peckham with the stolen piece of art
The gang rounded a man who tried to stop them removing the artwork
One of the men launching another man’s phone into the air after he tried to stop them
The artwork showing the silhouette of a wolf howling appeared on a rooftop in Peckham. It is the latest piece in a series of murals that have been unveiled this week
Similarly, a brand new Banksy artwork worth an estimated £250,000 was stolen in Peckham last year less than an hour after it was revealed to be genuine.
The artist confirmed the artwork – a traffic stop sign covered with three military drones – was his in an Instagram post shortly after midday on December 22.
The artwork was widely interpreted by followers as calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and drew a large crowd of admirers to the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way.
But at around 12.30pm that day, the peaceful scene was shattered by the arrival of two men, one of whom balanced precariously on an Lime e-bike while hurriedly hacking the sign down with bolt cutters.
The rider of the e-bike, who asked to be referred to only as Alex, told MailOnline at the time that he ‘watched in awe’ as the man ‘bashed’ the sign with his hands while balancing on the saddle.
The man removing the sign, who was wearing a red jacket, fled with it after just 60 seconds after onlookers shouted at him to stop. He left the bolt cutters behind.
Two men were arrested and re-bailed earlier this year pending further inquiries.
The ‘Banksy bandit’ suspects were re-bailed after the £250,000 stop sign piece of art was allegedly ‘stolen’ from a Peckham street in broad daylight last year
A man in a red jacket fled with the sign in front of stunned crowds last December
The man, pictured on December 22, is seen running away with the traffic sign
He left the pair of bolt cutters behind at the scene
Pieces by the rogue artist have previously been sold for millions of pounds.
Banksy, whose career began in the 90s, is known by millions of people thanks to the appearance of dozens of iconic artworks in unexpected locations around the world, with many having gone on to sell for millions.
For years his identity has been a hot topic, with names such as Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja and Gorillaz founder Jamie Hewlett being floated around.
Also suggested is public schoolboy Robin Gunningham, who was ‘unmasked’ as Banksy by the Mail On Sunday in 2008 after an investigation into his past.
Regardless of who he his, Banksy’s works are hot property on the art market.
In 2021, his ‘Love is in the Bin’ work was bought for more than £18million, with its value having been boosted after a shredder hidden in its frame cut it to pieces moments after it was sold for the first time in 2018.
The work, previously known as ‘Girl with Balloon’, was just one of more than a dozen of Banksy’s creations that have sold for more than £2million.
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