Dennis RomeroL.A. gets so giddy over street art these days that the possibility of a new Banksy mural gracing our fair city went positively viral in recent days.
Of course, in Hollywood, everything is not as it seems. This Banksy is a fraud! The New York Times got the scoop last night, with none other than the B-man's publicist confirming that the British artist had nothing to do with a very Banksy-esque piece (pictured above) appearing on a wall in Hollywood:
He has used the word 'vandalism' before, but the piece is fake.
Those were the words of the spokeswoman, accompanied by the sound of deflating value. No worries, however.
The L.A. artist who appears to have created the piece has stepped forward: Stromberg, who says on his Facebook page that it was created in collaboration with someone named @str8creep.
Credit: Stromberg / Facebook
He added:
I just hope they don't make big holes in that wall and try to sell the artwork!
He also says, “I guess Mr Chapelle is cool w the fact I hit his wall too!,” making us think the piece might be at La Chapelle Studio West, here:
Even if the piece is highly derivative, a lot of street artists can only dream of making such a splash. Maybe it is worth something …
Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Dennis Romero on Twitter at @dennisjromero. Follow LA Weekly News on Twitter at @laweeklynews.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.