February 13, 2020
A Banksy Valentine for His Home City
On Valentine's Day 2020, a new Banksy appeared on a house in Bristol — a girl firing a slingshot of red flowers, instantly confirmed by the artist.
On the eve of Valentine's Day 2020, residents of Barton Hill in Bristol woke to find a new artwork on the side of a house: a little girl firing a slingshot, sending a spray of bright red flowers and leaves bursting up the wall.
Banksy confirmed it on Instagram, and crowds quickly gathered in the artist's home city. The flowers seemed to bloom from a real crack in the brickwork — a typically tender, sly touch.
Within days the piece was vandalised and then protected behind plastic — the familiar fate of a Banksy, where street gift quickly becomes guarded treasure.
Image: “Banksy doesn't need planning permission” — Christophe Krief, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.