An important piece of London Street Art by Stik valued at up to £20k has been stolen from a Dulwich location. It was one of three panels situated on the side of a homeware shop on the corner of Lordship Lane and Blackwater Street.
The shop owner, had turned over the space on the side of the building as a place for street artists to exhibit their work. “I had no idea they were painting on plywood panels and not directly on the wall” declared Michelle, the owner of Robinson’s. “But the thief knew, and he also knew which was the most valuable artist”; she added. The painting by Stic was an interpretation of ‘Mrs Moody and her sons’ by Thomas Gainsborough.
Several Banksy murals worth hundreds of thousands of pounds have been removed from their locations in the past few years. Some have reappeared legally in auction rooms both in the UK and the United States.
Two years ago a bronze sculpture by the well known British artist Barbara Hepworth was stolen from Dulwich Park. The work valued at over £1m was thought to have been taken by scrap metal thieves and it most likely has been melted down for the value of the metal, a fraction of the price of the artwork.
Stik’s street art can mainly be seen across London, but his recent gallery shows have been sell-outs, with his work being bought by everyone from Elton John and Chris Martin, to Tinie Tempah and Goldie, a street artist of some renown in his own right. His work is also part of the V&A print collection. He has also just completed a unique painting in the vendor area at The Big Issue’s offices in Vauxhall, where his journey from homeless person to celebrated street artist shows hope and inspiration to the vending community.
Photos courtesy of Dulwichonview and facebook