Banksy’s The Girl With The Pierced Eardrum adorned with giant face mask amid coronavirus pandemic

It is assumed that the artist, whose true identity is a mystery, made the addition

Banksy’s The Girl With The Pierced Eardrum has been adorned with a giant face mask amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The graffiti piece, inspired by Johannes Vermeer’s painting The Girl With The Pearl Earring, is located on the side of a building in Bristol’s Albion Docks.

It is presumed that Banksy himself made the addition, which was spotted by someone walking around Bristol, but that is not known for certain.

The Girl With The Pierced Eardrum appeared in October 2014.

Last week Banksy shared his newest piece of art on Instagram, a series of his famous rat drawings in his own bathroom.

He wrote: “My wife hates it when I work from home.”

The artist’s rats are said to symbolise the way graffiti reappears despite efforts to remove it.

His previous artwork appeared the month before the UK went into lockdown. Located in the Barton Hill area of Bristol, it depicts a young girl firing a slingshot into the sky, creating a red firework-style explosion.

Banksy’s The Girl With The Pierced Eardrum in Bristol (@Anth0ny_Ward via Twitter)

The mural only lasted 48 hours, however, before it was defaced with graffiti reading “BCC W***ERS”. The message is believed to refer to Bristol City Council.

Banksy’s true identity is unknown and has been the subject of speculation for years, but it is generally accepted that Bristol is his hometown.