Banksy in Venice: When Street Art Becomes Heritage

Restoration, preservation or betrayal? The Migrant Child, a piece secretly painted by Banksy in 2019 on a Venetian wall, has been rescued from the water — but at what cost? A deep dive into a fascinating and controversial operation that blurs the lines between art, power, and memory.

A Stencil Like an Alarm Bell

It appeared overnight on May 9, 2019, without warning, without a signature. On the facade of a 17th-century Venetian palace overlooking the San Pantalon canal, a child in a life vest holds up a pink smoke flare. The mist seems to float into the void, and the image evokes both innocence and despair.

It didn’t take long to recognize the artist: Banksy. The elusive British street artist confirmed the work days later on his social media. The stencil, later dubbed The Migrant Child, was widely interpreted as a powerful statement on the Mediterranean migration crisis.

It fit Banksy’s signature style — political, urgent, poetic. Yet its location — painted just above water level, on a crumbling building exposed to tides and salt — also seemed to seal its fate: slow disappearance.

The street artist Banksy’s work, “The Migrant Child,” pictured in June 2025 shortly before its removal.

Time, Salt, and Silence

And that’s exactly what began to happen. Over six years, The Migrant Child deteriorated under the weight of humidity, marine air, and capillary salt. Nearly a third of the painting was lost, especially the lower section submerged in high tides.

Rather than allow the piece to vanish quietly, the Italian Ministry of Culture, the City of Venice, and private bank Banca Ifis launched a rescue mission in 2023. Backed by cultural undersecretary Vittorio Sgarbi, the effort aimed to preserve the work as a piece of contemporary heritage — even if it was never meant to be.

A Daring and Unprecedented Operation

The rescue officially began in June 2025. Scaffolding went up around the now-bank-owned Palazzo San Pantalon, and a team led by restorer Federico Borgogni prepared a bold solution: remove the mural with the wall itself and transport it for conservation.

A first-of-its-kind operation in Italy, the process involved consolidating the wall, using diamond saws to cut the fragment, and boxing it in a specially made crate — which was then transported by boat through Venice’s canals.

In the lab, conservators cleaned and stabilized the painting, filled gaps, and performed careful, minimal retouching. The most damaged lower portion — degraded beyond restoration — was intentionally left untouched, a quiet homage to the transient nature of street art.

The Future of a Symbol

But The Migrant Child will not return to its original wall. Instead, Banca Ifis plans to display it in a free, public venue — location to be announced.

The original building, now owned by the bank, is being redesigned by Zaha Hadid Architects to become a contemporary cultural space, aligned with Venice’s art scene and the Biennale. The future of the piece: curated, contextualized, and — some would argue — domesticated.

The Palazzo San Pantalon, featuring Banksy’s work, before restoration.

Art or Appropriation?

The project’s technical ambition is clear, but so is the criticism. Within the street art community, restoration is often seen as betrayal. Street art is meant to fade, to be ephemeral, to resist institutional control.

"Banksy created this for the public, not for a gallery," says Evyrein, a street artist based in Bologna. "Freezing it in time goes against the very purpose of the piece."

Venetian residents and activists also question the move. Rosanna Carrieri, a local organizer, notes: “No one consulted the community, nor the artist. This is cultural appropriation disguised as preservation.”

Banksy, as always, has remained silent. But in 2018, after one of his works (Girl with Balloon) shredded itself at auction, he commented: “The urge to own art transforms its message.”

"Turf War", a 2003 screen print by Banksy, offered for sale by Class Art Biarritz.

Between Memory and Museum

This controversy touches on a broader question: what becomes of street art when it becomes iconic? Should we allow it to disappear as intended — or preserve it for future generations?

In Venice, a city itself fighting against time and rising seas, the act of preservation carries symbolic weight. Yet in "saving" The Migrant Child, something intangible may have been lost.

Perhaps that, too, is the most Banksy-esque paradox of all.

Who is Banksy?

Banksy is a world-renowned yet anonymous British street artist who emerged in the early 1990s from Bristol’s underground scene. Combining striking visual stencils with biting political messages, his work often critiques capitalism, war, surveillance, social inequality, and the art market itself.

Though his real identity remains unconfirmed, Banksy’s work has become globally recognized and often highly valuable — despite his open disdain for commercializing street art. He communicates sparingly via his website and verified Instagram account and avoids participating in unauthorized exhibitions or retrospectives.

In 2010, he directed the acclaimed and enigmatic documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, blurring the lines between artist and audience, creation and commodification.

“Love is in the Bin” by Banksy was sold for nearly €22 million in October 2021.

Discover Banksy’s works currently available for sale here.