Banksy finally claimed a new piece of artwork in Nottingham, after speculation over who was responsible for it - but in an ironic twist, people have already tried to graffiti over it.
Of course, they both may be graffiti, but it's fair to say Banksy's piece of a girl hula-hooping with a bike wheel carried a bit more gravitas than the tag that someone decided to spray paint over it. But then, that's the nature of the artform.
The piece appeared on a brick wall outside a beauty salon on Wednesday night (15 October) and shows a child with a bike wheel, while an old one-wheeled bike is chained to a lamp post just by it. Although many doubted it was a Banksy, Nottingham City Council decided to put a protective screen over it just in case.
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After much debate, it was confirmed to be by the enigmatic artist when Banksy posted the piece on his Instagram.
Since the artwork was first spotted on Friday (16 October) there have been two attempts to graffiti over it - but each time the graffiti was cleaned off the perspex screen afterwards to reveal the Banksy artwork underneath.
Of course - the irony wasn't lost on many.
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One person commented on social media: "They are both graffiti, no matter who has done them."
Another said: "So someone has graffitied a wall, the council try preserve it and then there's an uproar that someone else has graffitied the same wall. Both the same act despite who did either."
Someone else got philosophical, asking: "When does graffiti become art? Someone paints on a wall its vandalism. When someone else paints on top of it, it's bad."
While one social media user simply said: "This is why we can't have nice things."
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Banksy, whose identity has always been up for debate, was recently rumoured to be none other than Neil Buchanan, of Art Attack fame.
The rumour picked up momentum at the start of September and wildly span out of control, leading to the man himself (Buchanan, not Banksy) having to step in.
Of course, there was never any great proof that Buchanan could be Banksy and in a post on his website entitled 'Neil Buchanan is NOT Banksy', the artist and presenter set the record straight once and for all.
It read: "We have been inundated with enquiries over the weekend regarding the current social media story.
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"Unfortunately this website does not have the infrastructure to answer all these enquiries, individually, however we can confirm that there is no truth in the rumour whatsoever.
"Neil spent lockdown with vulnerable members of his family and is now preparing to launch his new art collection in 2021.
"Thank you and please stay safe."
Banksy's real identity is still up for debate.
Featured Image Credit: Nottingham Live