Banksy’s Piranhas artwork moved into storage ahead of London Museum display

Banksy’s Piranhas artwork has moved into protective storage ahead of its display at the London Museum’s new location.

The artwork, which shows fish spray-painted on a police sentry box, made headlines last summer when it appeared as part of the street artist’s animal-themed collection in the capital, which concluded with a gorilla appearing to lift up a shutter on the entrance to London Zoo.

The Piranhas piece is now in the care of London Museum and will be kept in secure storage before it becomes accessible to the public as part of a permanent display at the museum’s Smithfield location, which is opening in 2026.

Banksy’s Piranhas artwork (Lucy North/PA)

Before it was painted to resemble a fish tank, the sentry box had stood in Ludgate Hill since the 1990s.

Following confirmation from the reclusive artist that he was responsible, the box was temporarily relocated by the City Of London Corporation to Guildhall Yard, where thousands of visitors viewed it from behind safety barriers. It was later moved to Guildhall’s South Ambulatory.

Banksy’s London animals collection was made up of nine works including a rhino seemingly mounting a silver Nissan Micra, two elephant silhouettes with their trunks stretched out towards each other, and three monkeys that looked as though they were swinging on a bridge.

The Banksy series included a gorilla lifting the edge of a shutter at the entrance to London Zoo (PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Stefan Rousseau

Some of the works, which also included a howling wolf on a satellite dish, were removed, covered up or vandalised, after being painted across the city from August 5 to August 13.

Policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, said: “Banksy stopped Londoners in their tracks when this piece appeared in the Square Mile – and now, we’re making it available to millions.

“By securing it for London Museum, we’re not only protecting a unique slice of the City’s story, but also adding an artwork that will become one of the museum’s star attractions.”

The sentry box had stood in Ludgate Hill since the 1990s (Lucy North/PA)

The chairman of the City of London Corporation’s culture, heritage, and libraries committee, Brendan Barns, said: “Banksy’s Piranhas are already part of City legend – and soon, they’ll be part of London’s story, too.

“Moving this piece into the care of London Museum guarantees that millions of people will be able to enjoy it, alongside an extraordinary collection that celebrates the capital’s creativity and diversity.”

Head of curatorial at London Museum Glyn Davies added: “With the arrival of Banksy’s Piranhas, our collection now spans from Roman graffiti to our first piece of contemporary street art.

“This work by one of the world’s most iconic artists now belongs to Londoners, and will keep making waves when it goes on show next year in the Museum’s new Smithfield home.”

London Museum’s London Wall site opened in 1976 and closed in December 2022 in preparation for the move to Smithfield. London Museum Docklands remains open.