[photo via BBC]
The BBC reports that a 25-foot mural done by Banksy was accidentally painted over with black paint by the Bristol City Council's graffiti-removal contractors.
The piece was one of Banksy's early works and was ordered by the BCC not to be removed (all of Banksy's public art projects, actually, have been ordered to be preserved). Problem is that the BCC did ask the contractors to remove grafitii next to Banksy's piece, they just couldn't figure out which was a landmark and which wasn't.
This brings up a larger question that has plagued the public art world for decades -- what makes a public artwork worthy of preservation? Why is it that Banksy's work is kept intact, while other grafitti is painted over and its artists are arrested. is having your artwork seel for over $200K enough to protect you from the law?
