BANKSY IN GRAFFITI WAR AFTER PAINTING OVER 24 YEAR OLD MURAL

GRAFFITI STREET ARTIST BANKSY HAS BECOME EMBROILED IN A TIT-FOR-TAT ROW WITH ANOTHER STREET ARTIST AFTER DELIBERATELY SPRAYING OVER A 24 YEAR OLD ARTWORK. THE ELUSIVE AEROSOL PAINTER HAS CAUSED AN OUTRAGE BY COVERING UP A PIECE OF GRAFFITI THAT HAD REMAINED UNTOUCHED SINCE IT WAS PAINTED IN 1985. ITS CREATOR, 'ROBBO', A HUGELY RESPECTED GRAFFITI ARTIST, IMMEDIATELY RETALIATED BY SPRAYING HIS NAME OVER BANKSY'S PAINTING OF A WORKMAN ON A WALL IN NORTH LONDON. COVERING OVER SOMEONE ELSE'S GRAFFITI IS SEEN AS THE ULTIMATE MARK OF DISRESPECT WITHIN THE STREET ART COMMUNITY. THE DISPUTE BEGAN LAST WEEK WHEN BANKSY PRODUCED SEVERAL PAINTINGS ALONG THE REGENTS'S CANAL AREA IN THE RUN-UP TO CHRISTMAS. ONE FEATURED A CHARACTER IN WORKMAN'S OVERALLS PASTING GRAFFITI COVERED WALLPAPER ON A GRAY WALL, WHICH COVERED ROBO'S 1985 MURAL. ROBBO, WHOSE REAL NAME IS UNKNOWN, PROMPTLY RECLAIMED HIS SPACE AND COVERED OVER THE EXPOSED PART OF THE WALL WITH A NEW PAINTING DECLARING 'KING ROBBO' IN 3 FOOT HIGH SILVER LETTERS. THE ROW HAS SPARKED A WAR OF WORDS ON PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE FLIKR, WHERE ROBBO AND HIS ASSOCIATES AND ARTISTS FROM AROUND BRITAIN HAVE VOICED THEIR DISGUST AT BANKSY'S ACT OF DISRESPECT. ONE GRAFFITI WRITER, CALLING HIMSELF CITRUS TOPNOTE JR, SAID: 'IN THE WORLD OF GRAFFITI YOU DON'T USE OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK AS PART OF YOUR OWN UNLESS YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH THEM AND YOU AGREE BEFOREHAND. REGARDLESS OF THE ROBBO, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT ALONE. SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN AROUND AS LONG AS BANKSY SHOULD KNOW THE DRILL BY NOW. THAT SORT OF S*** IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE.' IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THE INFAMOUS ARTIST HAS FALLEN FOUL OF FELLOW GRAFFITI ARTISTS. LAST MONTH A SECTION OF WALL IN A CROYDON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE FEATURING A BANKSY WORK WAS REMOVED AFTER VANDALS COVERED IT WITH TAGS.AND IN MARCH THIS YEAR, A MURAL BANKSY HAD DEDICATED TO A LATE GRAFFITI ARTIST CALLED OZONE WAS PAINTED OVER. THE ENIGMATIC ARTIST, WHOSE IDENTITY IS STILL UNCONFIRMED, IS NOW THOUGHT TO BE A MILLIONAIRE THANKS TO HIS POPULARITY AMONGST THE ART COMMUNITY AND CELEBRITIES ALIKE. IN 2005, CHRISTINA AGUILERA BOUGHT AN ORIGINAL DEPICTION OF QUEEN VICTORIA AS A LESBIAN AND TWO PRINTS FOR £25,000. THE FOLLOWING YEAR ANGELINA JOLIE PURCHASED THREE OF HIS WORKS TOTALING £250,000.