Looking to Buy a Share of a Banksy Mural? Now You Can.

If you’ve ever wanted to own a work of art by Banksy, this August might just be the time to do it. Though in this case, it isn’t so much a work of art by Banksy than part of one. (Don’t worry; this doesn’t involve literally chopping up a work of art, as was the case with a Damien Hirst painting sold in increments in 2020.) Instead, shares in a mural believed to be by Banksy and dubbed Valentine’s Day Mascara will be sold, with some of the proceeds benefiting Oasis, a nonprofit organization that assists people dealing with domestic violence.

The Art Newspaper reports that the mural — which depicts an abused woman disposing of the body of the man who’d harmed her — first appeared on the side of a building in Margate, located in southeastern England. It appeared on the side of a townhouse there and is now on display in Dreamland, an amusement park located in the same town. According to the article, it’s set to remain there for at least a year and potentially longer.

Shares of the mural will go on sale beginning on August 22, and will sell for £120 apiece — or a little over $150, at the current rate of exchange. All told, 27,000 shares will be sold.

Is Mr. Brainwash Actually Banksy? We Asked Him.

Over the course of our conversation, the French street artist did little to dissuade the notion that he could be the artist who allegedly discovered him

As The Art Newspaper‘s reporting explains, this work has not been authenticated as a Banksy original — which is one of the reasons for this relatively unorthodox approach to selling it. “It could be a complete flop, it might sell out in three weeks,” Julian Usher of Red Eight Gallery told the publication. If it’s the latter, it’ll be interesting to see if this heralds a new approach to selling murals in a similar vein.