The police sentry box that Banksy emblazoned with piranhas during his nine-day vandalism tour in London last summer is going on permanent display at the new London Museum.
The spray-painted box made to look like an aquarium is one of nine animal-themed works that the anonymous British street artist made in the UK capital in August.
A rhino amorously mounting a car, a pair of elephants with their trunks outstretched towards each other, and three monkeys swinging from a bridge are among the series.
Located in Smithfield, central London, the museum opens in 2026. It acquired the piranha work after the City of London Corporation – the local authority which governs the capital’s financial district – voted to donate it to the museum.
Sharon Ament, the London Museum’s director, said in a statement that the “only thing better than having a Banksy appear on the walls… is having a Banksy on display inside.”
“No other artist connects with people so profoundly, with such vigor, humor, and honest than Banksy,” she said. “If you’re lucky, a Banksy will appear at the end of the road in which you live and it’s always a moment when one does. Banksy brings art to the streets and it’s for everyone.”
Installed in Ludgate Hill, located on a small hill in the City of London, in the 1990s, the sentry box was moved to Guildhall Yard, an outdoor space used for public and private events, after Banksy confirmed he was responsible for graffitiing it.
The artwork will be temporarily placed in the London Museum’s stores before taking up its final position in the new institution.
The London Museum was moved from its old location next to London Wall, a defensive wall first built by the Romans, to Smithfield. The City of London Corporation is injectingf £222 million into the project and the Barbican Center. Expected to draw two million visitors every year, the new museum hopes to create over 1,500 jobs.
When Banksy’s animal murals first appeared, there was a flurry of speculation about their potential meaning. However, the artist’s support organization, Pest Control Office, essentially said they are meaningless.
