| By :
Martin Hofschroer
One of Banksy's most famous stencils will go under the hammer to raise money for charity. Gangsta Rat, a medallion-sporting rodent holding a microphone, will be auctioned by the Moorfields Eye hospital in London's City Road at the Saatchi gallery as part of The Art of Giving event. The graffiti, featuring the ubiquitous Banksy rodent inspired by French artist Blek Le Rat, appeared on the hospital in 2006 but was soon covered up in a bid to protect it from vandals and theft. Banksy's work is always at risk from organisations who view graffiti as vandalism as Transport for London once painted over an iconic image of a Pulp Fiction scene of Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta brandishing bananas instead of guns. Rats are a favourite subject of the guerilla artist and regularly star in graffiti pieces around the world and several Banksy prints. The Bristolian wrote in his book Wall and Piece: "I'd been painting rats for three years before someone said 'that's a clever anagram of art' and I had to pretend I'd known that all along." Moorfields Eye hospital will use the money raised from the event to fund research into new treatments for eye disease. John Pelly, Moorfields' chief executive, told the Guardian: "As far as I can gather, it simply appeared on the wall outside our main entrance one morning. "A member of staff subsequently offered us £5,000 for it, but we suspected it was probably worth a good deal more." Moorfields Eye hospital can expect to raise a significant amount of money from the auction as Banksy's work has often exceeded its estimated value. American pop star Christina Aguilera spent £25,000 on an original of Queen Victoria as a lesbian and two Banksy prints, while a set of Kate Moss paintings sold for £50,400, which set an auction record for the Bristolian's work. Meanwhile, Banksy fans are being advised to only buy prints by the elusive street artist from reputable sources. A man from Coventry has pleaded guilty to duping unsuspecting art enthusiasts into spending thousands of pounds on fake limited edition Banksy prints on internet auction site eBay, reports the Coventry Telegraph. Robert McGarry admitted four counts of fraud by making false representation at Coventry Crown Court and is awaiting a sentence later this month after being granted bail. Several Banksy prints were sold on the auction website by McGarry who forged certificates of authenticity in order to enhance their provenance and make them more attractive to fans of the graffiti artist.
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