Banksy: Reading prison artwork vandalised with name of rival

Art adorns the walls of the disused prison in Reading

The latest work by enigmatic street artist Banksy has been vandalised with the name of a rival.

Banksy’s piece was discovered earlier this month on the wall of the defunct Reading Prison, and seemed to depict Oscar Wilde escaping from the facility with the use of a typewriter.

The wall has since been defaced again, with the typewriter obscured by red paint. Below the artwork, the words “Team Robbo” are scrawled in large red lettering.

King Robbo was a graffiti artist who was frequently described in the media as Banksy’s “nemesis”.

The pair sometimes painted over each other’s artworks, and became the subject of the 2011 Channel 4 documentary Graffiti Wars. Robbo died in 2014.

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Prior to its defacement, the artwork had attracted praise from Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet, who interpreted Banksy’s piece as an endorsement of a proposal to convert the old prison into a centre for the arts.

“I just felt incredibly excited for Reading to have a Banksy,” said Winslet.

The stencil painting was discovered on the wall of the prison on 1 March, with onlookers speculating that Banksy was behind it.

Banksy then shared a video to social media which confirmed his authorship of the painting, featuring famous 1980s PBS artist Bob Ross.