A detail of the vandalized work.Credit Neil Munns/European Pressphoto Agency

Now it really is graffiti.

A Banksy artwork that has been the subject of controversy since it popped up on the side of a house in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was found covered in silver spray paint on Friday,The Guardian reported on Friday. The painting depicts three men in trench coats and hats, using devices to tap into a telephone booth. Cheltenham is just a few miles away from the headquarters of the British government’s surveillance agency.

The work, which was authenticated by the pseudonymous British street artist on his website in June, has been the subject of contention since the owners of the house, whose names have remained unpublished, announced that they intended to sell the work. After the Cheltenham Borough Council had intervened to prevent its removal, it was announced on Wednesday that a local businessman, Hekmat Kaveh, was close to a deal to buy the work in order to keep it in its original location. The figure to be paid wasdescribed by the BBC as “a significant sum.”...Continue Reading

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