Christopher Walken Deliberately 'Destroyed' Genuine Banksy Art On Set Of New Series

In the Wednesday, Nov. 10, airing of the final episode of a British TV series, a genuine Banksy artwork was painted over by Christopher Walken, in what is seen by many as a provocative statement about the fragility of art.

"The Outlaws," a British comedy-drama that aired on BBC iPlayer on Wednesday, is a story about a group of people who repair a community center in Bristol, where it is believed that Banksy resides, according to the Guardian.

In the final scene of the episode, Christopher Walken, who plays con artist Frank, finds the authentic Banksy hidden away behind a piece of wood. The painting depicted a rat standing with two cans of spray paint with the name of the artist signed above, CNN reported.

Walken’s character asks the supervisor about the street art he found, but the supervisor, busy reading a Lee Child novel, tells him to paint over it, no exceptions. The last shot of the series shows Walken painting over the Banksy artwork in real-time, the New York Post reported.

“We can confirm that the artwork at the end of 'The Outlaws' was an original Banksy, and that Christopher Walken painted over that artwork during the filming of this scene, ultimately destroying it,” a spokesperson for the series said.

This is not the first time that a Banksy artwork has been destroyed in the name of art. In 2018, Banksy’s "Girl with Balloon" was partially shredded moments after its sale for $1.4 million in Sotheby's auction house in London was confirmed, to the shock of everyone in attendance.

The resulting artwork, renamed "Love is in the Bin," was auctioned last month and sold for over $25.4 million, the highest recorded sale for the reclusive street artist.

Walken and his team have yet to comment about the incident.