Banksy’s Piranhas artwork to feature in the new London Museum

A Banksy artwork that was one of nine that appeared across London last summer has been moved into storage ahead of its display in a museum.

Called ‘Piranhas’, the work includes spray-painted fish on a police sentry box in the City of London.

The City of London Corporation swiftly removed the box and placed it on public display at the Guildhall where visitors viewed it from behind safety barriers.

Now the sentry box is being placed in storage ahead of its permanent display in London Museum’s new Smithfield location, which is due to open in 2026.

The museum obtained the Piranhas piece after the City Of London Corporation voted to donate it to the attraction.

Head of curatorial at London Museum Glyn Davies said: “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.”

Formerly the Museum of London, in December 2022 it permanently closed its site at London Wall in preparation for reopening in 2026 at Smithfield Market.

The museum changed its name and branding to London Museum in July 2024.

The City Of London Corporation allocated £222m toward the museum’s relocation – which is expected to attract two million visitors every year and create more than 1,500 jobs.

The sentry box had been in Ludgate Hill since the 1990s and was relocated to Guildhall Yard once the artist had confirmed it was his work.

The Banksy work features the fierce fish in an ‘aquarium’ on the box and was part of the artist’s animal-themed series across the capital last summer.

Nine works, including a rhino mounting a car, two elephants with their trunks stretched towards each other, and three monkeys swinging on a bridge, appeared over nine days in August 2024.

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.

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.”