- The Washington Times - Thursday, April 16, 2020

International street artist Banksy is abiding by coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Britain and has posted images to social media of a recent art piece created in an unusual space: the anonymous artist’s home bathroom.

The artist, whose identity has long remained a secret, posted a series of photos to Instagram depicting the bathroom trashed by stenciled rats jumping on a bottle of toothpaste, rolling out toilet paper and hanging from the shower curtain, along with a relatable caption, “my wife hates it when I work from home.” The post has since gained over 2 million likes.

Banksy most recently gained international attention when one of the artist’s paintings self-destructed within seconds of selling for $1.4 million during an October auction at Sotheby’s in London.

Video shared by Banksy on social media showed the artwork, “Girl with Balloon,” shredding itself moments after a bidder agreed by telephone to purchase the painting for £1.04 million, or more than triple its expected selling price.

Britain has imposed strict lockdown restrictions as the country races to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, and officials have said they are unlikely to be lifted soon, with experts warning the country is nearing the peak of the outbreak.

The U.K. has reported 99,516 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, 12,868 deaths, and 370 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Britain has a population of 66 million.

• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.

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