Banksy Painted Over

From Art News

A Banksy work was recently painted over by rail staff in the UK, which has prompted locals to complain. Rail staff now have photos of work by Banksy, so they don't make the same mistake again.Does that mean that money lifts an artist above being called a vandal? Are people annoyed by the fact that it's such a great piece of grafitti or that it could have been sold at Sothebys for $50,000? If Thomas Kinkade suddenly gets the urge to start putting his art on buildings without permission, should we leave them up too?I have nothing against Banksy.. I actually like him.. he makes me smile.. this story just got me thinking about art..The rail officials first said "We don't want graffiti on our property and we will remove it," he said. "It's ugly, illegal and the public don't like it."They then said "We have now issued our maintenance crews with photographs of Banksy's work, so if they come across it, they'll recognise it for what it is. We will then try and remove it if at all possible and auction it for charity." Read more at This is London>> Banksy, Controversy