(Christopher Discipio)
Banksy took to the Williamsburg-Bed Stuy border today for the 17th installment of . Hours after his piece went up on Cook Street, off of Graham Avenue, it was vandalized. But a few art-friendly Good Samaritans did some on-the-spot restoration and — although a smudge is still visible — the mural is pretty much clear.
While B+B was on the scene, a man covered the right figure with a square piece of blue Plexiglas. Hysteria ensued as everyone remembered the guy who, a few days ago, tried to charge people $20 to take a picture of a Banksy piece.
Turned out the man armed with the Plexiglas was none other than 49-year-old Vic Rivera, an employee of the Garden Gates construction company who was hired by the owner of the building to guard the piece overnight. They plan to encase the mural using a wooden frame and Plexiglas.
“I’m taking the dimensions of the image,” he assured. “Then I’m going to anchor the glass to the wall over both of the figures and the tree. I’m a fan of art and I don’t want anyone defacing it again.”
“Me and my friend are going to sit in this car and take turns watching it all night,” Rivera said, pointing to his green Mitsubishi Galant. “Would I get physical? I’m not saying that’s what I’m going to do, but if I have the opportunity to push someone away from ruining it, I will. But if someone comes by and tries to deface it, they will be filmed and charges will be pressed against them.”
The Graham Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) is also looking to ride on Banksy’s coattails.
They sent B+B and other news outlets an e-mail stating, “If you want to come and take photos…be our guest…but please also mention the great mural across from this famous piece and the other one our BID has across the street…seems art is a real attraction on Cook Street and Graham Avenue in the Graham Avenue Business Improvement District in good old Brooklyn!”
Update, 1 a.m.: Animal Vined the installation of the Plexiglas.