Banksy’s street artworks in Bristol and London, a new heritage resource that is difficult to protect

Abstract

treet art has become one of the most identifiable cultural expressions of the 21st century and thanks to the growing popularity of many artists, some street works have acquired cultural and economic values. In this sense, the value of Banksy’s work lies in its ingenuity, mystery, modus operandi and reading as a contemporary historical document. While English local governments previously removed his works, they now want, accept and protect them; a fact that implies rethinking strategies to preserve cultural assets, assess their heritage values and consider their inclusion (or not) in the National Heritage List for England (NHLE). Thanks to the epistemological study and several field visits, we analyze the relevance and production of Banksy in Bristol and London, evaluate the current state of different works of his and assess the possibility of inscribing them on the heritage list of England.