Banksy has confirmed that, as was widely believed, he was behind a new London statue of a man blinded by a flag.
The anonymous Bristol-based street artist created a sculpture of a man in a suit walking forward off a plinth carrying a flag that was covering his face, which was erected in Waterloo Place, central London, near statues of Edward VII, Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War Memorial.
It was installed in the early hours of yesterday morning (April 29) and though it contained Banksy’s signature, the artist confirmed it was his later by posting it on his Instagram account.
Westminster City Council, which looks after the area, said: “We’re excited to see Banksy’s latest sculpture in Westminster, making a striking addition to the city’s vibrant public art scene.”
“While we have taken initial steps to protect the statue, at this time it will remain accessible for the public to view and enjoy.”
Although Banksy is best known for his murals, this is not the first time he has turned his hand to creating a statue. In 2004, he installed a piece called The Drinker – riffing on Rodin’s The Thinker – in Shaftesbury Avenue, which was later stolen.
In September, Banksy was revealed to be behind a protest artwork on the the Royal Courts Of Justice in London, depicting a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard while a judge, in a wig and gown, looms over him holding a gavel.
It was believed to be a commentary on the arrest of hundreds of people for holding up placards supporting Palestine Action at protests. Later, after the artwork was removed, Kneecap said it had hit the “fucking nail on the head”.
In 2024, a series of different animal-based images created by Banksy appeared across London. These began with a stencilled goat mural perching precariously on a ledge in Richmond, two elephants almost touching trunks outside windows in Chelsea, three monkeys swinging from a bridge in Shoreditch, and a wolf howling at the moon from a satellite dish in Peckham.
They were followed by two pelicans eating fish outside a fish and chip shop in Walthamstow, a stretching cat on a wooden advertising board on Edgware Road and fish swimming on a police box near Ludgate Hill, near The Old Bailey and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The final one was on the shutters of London Zoo, depicting a gorilla lifting up the shutters for other animals to escape. It was later removed for “safekeeping”.
Meanwhile, a builder from London recently hit out at rumours that he was Banksy, telling those making the claims to “grow up and get a life”.
The builder in question, George Georgiou, had been mistaken for Banksy ever since he was seen installing Perspex around an artwork in Finsbury Park in 2024, which he said he had done as a favour to his sons, who owned the building.
“It’s just really annoying because I’m still working. It’s disrupting my day endlessly,” he said.
In other news, the Banksy-designed stab-proof vest that Stormzy wore at Glastonbury has gone on display at London’s new V&A East as part of a new, landmark exhibition about Black British music.