Banksy confirms he is behind tree mural which appeared overnight on the side of ... trends now
Banksy has confirmed he was behind the artwork which appeared overnight on the side of a building near Finsbury Park in London.
The artwork shows a splattering of green which has been painted behind a bare tree to look like foliage, with a stencil of a person holding what appears to be a pressure hose next to it.
It appeared on Sunday after being completed overnight.
Prior to the offical announcement, the artwork had already been gathering Banksy fans to the location on Hornsey Road in north London.
James Peak, who created the BBC Radio 4 series The Banksy Story, rushed to the scene yesterday after receiving a tip-off.
He told the BBC: 'To my mind it looks like a dead cert.
Banksy officially confirmed the painting was his at 11.15am
The Banksy artwork has appeared on the side of a building near Finsbury Park in London
The artwork shows a splattering of green which has been painted behind a bare tree to look like foliage, with a stencil of a person holding what appears to be a pressure hose next to it
The bare wall pictured one year ago on March 2023 showing no greenery
'But as ever with Banksy - you never quite know, until he fesses up by posting it on his website.'
Banksy fans were delighted when the secretive artist's social media channels confirmed the Finsbury Park painting at 11.15am on Monday.
It racked up 115,000 likes on Instagram in just 15 minutes.
Mr Peak said the artwork had the hallmarks of a Banksy due to its clear message that nature is struggling and it is up to us to get it back.
He said another clue was the fact it was done with minimum effort but still looked really cool.
Banksy's eye for detail could also be on display as the colour of the paint matches the one used for street signs by Islington Council.
The lack of leaves, despite it being Spring, could also have inspired Banksy to make the painting.
Pictures from the scene one year ago, in March 2023, showed the tree looking similarly bare with no greenery.
But in July 2022 the tree was pictured with a lot more green foliage.
The Banksy has delighted many residents of Islington who took to social media to celebrate the artwork.
The artwork has already been gathering Banksy fans to the location on Hornsey Road in north London as they inspect it to see if it could be the real thing
The bare wall pictured in July 2022 showing the tree with a lot more green foliage
Banksy's eye for detail was on display as the colour of the paint matches the one used for street signs by Islington Council
One social media user was left puzzled after the artist seemed to have left zip ties at the scene
Local Islington Labour councillor Flora Williamson wrote on Twitter/X: 'By far the most exciting thing to happen on todays canvass session on hornsey road was seeing that Banksy had come to Tollington over night.
'Lots of local interest - I’m a fan of it.'
A resident of the area Amy wrote on Twitter: 'Proud new caretakers of an apparent new #Banksy piece in Finsbury Park… Woke up this morning to it on the side of flat. You can just about see us smiling proudly on our balcony.'
Paul Drinot wrote on social media: 'If this is a Banksy, it’s the best thing that’s happened to the Hornsey Road in years.'
One social media user was left puzzled after the artist seemed to have left zip ties at the scene - posting a picture of several black ones in a bunch.
The Banksy mania could even see the building's value rise if the piece gets confirmed.
One local joked on social media: 'Banksy came overnight and now my rent will skyrocket.'
The possible reveal of the Islington mural comes after the last time Banksy's art was revealed in London, it ended in scandal.
Two men were arrested and were bailed for allegedly using bolt cutters to steal the artwork which pictured a stop sign featuring three military drones.
Once Banksy announced on social media the artwork belonged to him in an Instagram post shortly after midday on December 23, two men allegedly appeared at the scene and cut down the artwork before running off.
The 'Banksy bandit' suspects allegedly stole the stop sign piece of art from a Peckham street in broad daylight in December
The piece of art was chopped off with bolt cutters just an hour after it was officially unveiled by the underground artist on December 23
Two men were bailed pending further inquiries last month but the police have yet to recover the artwork
A pair of bolt cutters were left behind at the scene following the brazen action
Police have yet to recover the peice of art, but one gallery owner told the BBC at the time it could be worth up to £500,000.
The artwork was widely interpreted by followers of the artist as
