A vandal sprayed what appears to be devil’s horns and a tail on the Banksy hammer boy painting on 79th street and Broadway sometime in the wee hours Monday night/Tuesday morning. The Upper West Side is known for its devilish children — not the cute ones running around, but the possessed one in Rosemary’s Baby, which took place in The Dakota on 72nd street.
Luckily, the painting is covered by plexiglass installed by the Zabar’s family. Workers came out on Tuesday morning to wash it off. Thanks to Michael and Rebecca for photos.
See our Banksy photo gallery here. And the last time the Banksy was defaced here.
How do they know it wasn’t Banky’s new red signature, in protest of the acrylic vandalism of his original work?
Funny that Zabar’s would be protecting this work when the building is slated for demolition, per your article in the last two weeks. Will they save just this wall?
This isn’t the building slated for demolition.
B.W., I think it is the building slated for demolition.
This building is not the one expected to be demolished. The one being demolished is on the 80th and Broadway. See here: https://www.westsiderag.com/2013/11/05/proposed-luxury-building-at-80th-and-broadway-set-to-rise-20-stories Avi
Thanks to the Zabar family for protecting this Street Art. It’s one of the things on the UWS that reminds me I live in NYC! It brings a smile to my face every time I walk past it!
Ring that bell little man!
Zabar’s is the best. I also noticed a few days ago that some idiot had managed to break away part of the Plexiglas, albeit not enough to expose the painting, but looks like a new sheet has been installed more securely.