A painting that looks a lot like the work of Banksy has appeared in a prominent spot in Faubourg Marigny. But we’re pretty sure it’s not really a work by the British street art superstar.
Way back in 2008, Banksy secretly visited New Orleans, where he produced a suite of about 14 stencils. Among them was his much-beloved rendering of the Morton Salt girl standing beneath a leaking umbrella.
The wistful painting, stenciled on the wall of a shelter for runaway youths at the corner of Pauger Street and St. Claude Avenue, symbolized the sievelike levees that had failed spectacularly during Hurricane Katrina.
On Jan. 5, 2024, neighbors feared Banksy's 'Umbrella Girl' might have been in danger of being stolen. Workmen were apparently shoring up the corner of the long-unused building where the valuable painting is located with a steel pipe and drilling behind the beloved artwork.
Graffiti is like a bouquet of wildflowers. It’s not meant to last long. But the so-called “Umbrella Girl” survived for 16 years, even though vandals regularly tried to deface her and an ambitious thief once tried to saw her from the wall.
In January, a spasm of concern rippled among street art lovers when the so-called “Umbrella Girl” disappeared. Happily, the owner of the building reported that she’d been removed for restoration, and would someday be returned, after the rundown former shelter is renovated.
Early this week, as commuters passed the painting’s former spot, they might have momentarily thought the “Umbrella Girl” was back. In its place, an artist had produced a convincingly Banksy-like approximation of the artwork.
However, the new stencil was a macabre version of the original, in which the “Umbrella Girl” is rendered as a skeleton.
Someone was apparently tricked by the imitation. A few blocks away, they'd tagged a wall with the message “Banky’s Back … Back Again.” In their likely excitement, they misspelled the artist’s name.
At least one person seems to have been confused by the imitation of a Banksy artwork that appeared in the Marigny.
But no, Banksy remains back in Bristol or elsewhere. A locally known street artist and Banksy fan who calls himself “Banksy Hates Me” has come forward to take credit for the X-ray version of the “Umbrella Girl.” He was quick to say that he was not responsible for the misspelled tag. Banksy Hates Me declined to share his given name.
Banksy is currently the world’s most famous artist, and his works sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, sometimes millions.
Of the original New Orleans Banksys, none are visible in their original locations, but two have been preserved at indoor sites. One is located in the lobby of the International House Hotel, 221 Camp St. The other is just a block from the "Umbrella Girl" at the Habana Outpost restaurant, 1040 Esplanade Ave.
A convincing imitation of a Banksy stencil has appeared in a sacred spot for New Orleans fans of the British graffiti master, causing some confusion. The skeletal version of Banksy's 'Umbrella Girl' was created by an artist who goes by the street art handle 'Banksy Hates Me.'
He’s the world’s most popular artist, his works sell for tens of millions, and he counts Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie among his collectors. Ye…
A batch of beautifully painted, graffiti-style murals popped up along St. Claude Avenue in Faubourg Marigny a few months back. They’re part of…
The forlorn recreation center at the derelict DeGaulle Manor apartment complex on the West Bank is mostly gone. It was demolished in the past …
