San Francisco

Banksy Imitators Busted on Haight Street

Copycats were able to revive the piece by projecting Banksy’s stencil onto the building

While crowds were mesmerized by fireworks on the Fourth of July, Banksy’s “Haight Street Rat” was being resurrected. The empty streets of Haight in San Francisco supplied ample time for the piece to be recreated, but the artists seen that night were not Banksy and his team.

Witness Geoff G. reported the copycats to Hoodline after snapping photographs of the painters. The tipster stated that he noticed two artists at work around 10:30 p.m. The iconic image was placed on the same wall as the original design, which was removed in 2010. The painters were able to revive the piece by projecting Banksy’s stencil onto the building.

SF Gate reported the original image’s appearance in 2010. Banksy was known to be in San Francisco at the time promoting his documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” The “Haight Street Rat” was later carefully removed from the building and preserved for gallery displays.

Hoodline did not state whether the fake Banksy piece would be painted over or left on the building.

Whether you admire the imitator’s homage or see it as defacement, Banksy’s influence on graffiti and the art world cannot be ignored.

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