This is it, the last week of Banksy's open-air art show in New York City. The artist just posted his latest piece on Instagram and his website—it's a robot, a barcode, and a pigeon in Coney Island. The exact location is Stillwill and Neptune.
Yesterday, Banksy put up a text piece in Greenpoint—which read: This Site Contains Blocked Messages—a response to the NY Times rejecting his op-ed column criticizing One World Trade Center.
UPDATE, 11:30 a.m.: We're told the owner is on site already and has arranged for plexiglass to protect the piece. He has also "already reviewed an offer for $25,000."
UPDATE, 12:45 p.m.: The owner is already measuring for plexi, though we hear a gate will also be involved in his preservation plans. The NYPD is on site, but they're just taking photos and joking around, they haven't asked about the owner about filing a complaint.
UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.: We're told the "owner of building, Anthony Ruocco, was not aware of Banksy." He told us his feelings on the piece: "Well, you know, It's not bad." The building was shut down after/during Hurricane Sandy and is not a convenience store anymore.
Police came by and gave the owner a copy of the Daly News story with the recent World Trade Center Banksy story." The owner says they just gave it to him to show him who Banksy was.
UPDATE, 5 p.m.: The metal gate is down! Building owners Joe Scaglione and Anthony Ruocco says it's "just for the night," and tommorow they'll cover it with Lexan, an "unbreakable" plexi. The owner and the people who helped put the gate up received applause from the crowd—Nic Garcia tells us, "They're being very nice. Huge crowd now, they keep opening it back up for people and letting people go up to it."
Additional reporting by Cecilia D'Anastasio, Nic Garcia, and Scott Lynch.
