Banksy's Brighton 'Kissing Coppers' to be sold in US

For years, it has been the two-fingered salute to the conventional art world, a poke in the eye for homophobes and a feather in Brighton's non-conformist cap. But now, seven years after its creation on the side of the Prince Albert pub, Banksy's "kissing coppers" is set to be shipped out and put on sale in America. The work, which depicts two policemen in a passionate clinch, has become a shrine for fans of the elusive graffiti artist and a regular stop on Brighton's tourist trail. But, after repeated attacks on the artwork left it severely damaged, the pub owner has decided to sell the original through a New York gallery for an sizeable fee, estimated to be anywhere from £500,000 to £1m.

"When he put it on the pub it belonged to the pub and, if it is sold, all the money will go back to the pub," said the owner Chris Steward. "It is very difficult to just keep the pub going, so a little break from that would be very welcome." Like many of Banksy's street artworks, the kissing coppers has a colourful history. A Banksy emissary had sought permission on behalf of the street artist but the pub had no idea what to expect. "My first thought was, 'oh no'," admitted Steward. "I thought we'd get in loads of trouble for it." And when a group of uniformed officers stepped out of their cars in front of the pub, he expected the worst. "I didn't know what was going to happen but they all stood there and started taking photos of it, it was lovely," said Steward.



But the work also attracted attention of a different kind. Within weeks two men were caught on CCTV daubing the image with black paint and were fined £40 for criminal damage, but soon after it was targeted again. After repeated attacks, Steward decided that to preserve the image it had to be removed. In 2008 a specialist art restoration company used chemicals to transfer the image onto a canvas, and the original was replaced with a facsimile, encased in perspex. "I don't think we are cheating people," said Steward. "Maybe it's a little bit misleading but it's 80% a Banksy, just the stencil's been done by somebody else."

Lindsay Alkin, director of the Art Republic gallery in Brighton, one of the first vendors of Banksy's work, said the sale was a blow to Brighton's cultural heritage. "What he does on the street should stay on the street," she said. "It is part of Brighton's culture, like an outside gallery, and now that is lost." Steward said he had attempted on several occasion to contact the artist with no success. Asked what he thought Banksy's reaction would be to its possible sale, he said: "I think he'll just shrug his shoulders and say that's life."