If you've followed any Banksy news over the past couple years, you will remember hearing about the Sincura Group, the "concierge" company that orchestrates the findng, removal, transporting, and restoration of Banksy pieces so that they can be sold at auction. The director of the Sincura Group, Tony Baxter, spoke recently with the New Statesman about his role, the "Stealing Banksy?" exhibition in London, and the ethics of stealing street art.
Baxter and his company were first hired to locate and bring Banksy's Slave Labour painting back to London in 2012. The works that the company have been able to "salvage" make up the "Stealing Banksy?" exhibition that the artist himself has called "disgusting." Baxter tells the New Stateman that he does not profit from the sale of the pieces and has not asked anyone to remove Banksy's art from a wall, but he does receive "a small management fee that covers just a fraction of my staffing and insurance costs."
On the issue of legality and ethics, Baxter says "At the end of the day, we sleep easy at night knowing that what we’re doing is legal. It may not be the most ethically sound – but it is the lesser of two evils.” Click the link below to read more about of what the curator had to say, and click here for more information about the "Stealing Banksy?" exhibition.
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[via NewStatesman]
