Curina rents an original work by Banksy
Owning an original piece of Banksy artwork can be tough – if it doesn’t cost millions of dollars, it may self-destruct and come to shreds just as you close the auction.
Luckily, you no longer need to be a millionaire or an auction expert to display an original Banksy in your own home. New York-based art rental company Curina lists a Banksy piece from the artist’s 2003 ‘Turf War’ exhibit, and all you need to secure the piece is a willingness to pay 6,000 $ per month for at least three months. Not exactly cheap, but not bad as far as fine art goes.
You can think of Curina as a Rent the Runway art world. Although the company also sells works of art, it also offers art lovers the possibility of renting them. There are over 1,500 original works of art available on Curina’s website – from paintings to photographs and even sculptures – and customers can choose to buy or rent them. Unlike the other pieces available, Banksy’s artwork will not be available for purchase as per the wishes of the artist’s office.
From tomorrow, customers will be able to register through the Curina website and rent the famous monkey window from the “Turf War” exhibition. Originally, the display case depicting a spray-painted monkey was part of a police van, which was to be destroyed after the exhibition by the hands of an artists’ collective. In the end, the van was not destroyed and shortly afterwards it was abandoned in an industrial estate in east London. The current owner found it and, wanting to retrieve it and keep it safe, kept the window hanging for almost 20 years, until now.
“When I started Curina, I never imagined that we would have the opportunity to offer an important work by Banksy for rental,” Mio Asatani, founder and CEO of Curina, said in a statement. “Although the piece is a bit more expensive than the rest of our art, Banksy’s philosophy of taking art off museum and gallery walls and bringing it directly to people is very much in line with our goal. principle of making the fine arts accessible to everyone.”
Curina will be renting the artwork on behalf of the anonymous owner, and Banksy fans wishing to rent it can do so by visiting Curina’s website and registering for a chance to be selected. Selection will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and customers will be subject to a verification process.