Banksy work 'The Migrant Child' removed from Venetian palazzo for restoration and future display

Key Points

• Art restorers removed Banksy’s "The Migrant Child" from the Palazzo San Pantalon in Venice after six years of neglect left about a third of the work deteriorated.
• The removal was carried out overnight under the supervision of restorer Federico Borgogni and in consultation with people close to the secretive artist, with funding from Banca Ifis’ art program.
• The piece, depicting a shipwrecked child holding a pink smoke bomb and wearing a lifejacket, first appeared in May 2019 and had become a popular tourist attraction along the Rio di San Pantalon.
• Once restoration is complete, the work will be exhibited free to the public as part of Ifis art’s free cultural events, though no timetable has been set.

MILAN (AP) — Art restorers have removed a deteriorating piece of graffiti by the street artist Banksy titled “The Migrant Child” from the side of a building overlooking a Venetian canal to preserve the work for future public display, officials said Thursday.

The removal from the wall of Palazzo San Pantalon was carried out in consultation with people close to the secretive British street artist, according to the Venice-based bank Banca Ifis' art program that promotes art and culture.

The artwork depicting a shipwrecked child holding a pink smoke bomb and wearing a lifejacket appeared along Rio di San Pantalon in Venice in May 2019, and was acknowledged by Banksy. Marked on online maps, it has become a tourist destination.

But six years of neglect had led to the deterioration of about a third of the work, the bank said.

The restoration is being overseen by Federico Borgogni, who previously removed dust and cleaned the surface before detaching a section of the palazzo's facade overnight Wednesday, Banca Ifis said in a statement. The bank is financing the project, but didn't release the cost of the operation.

The bank intends to display the work to the public as part of free cultural events organized by Ifis art once restoration is completed. No time frame was given.