Shares in Banksy’s Valentine’s Day Mascara mural offered to public

The public will soon be able to buy a piece of a Banksy mural first discovered on the side of a house in Margate in shares of £120 each.

Banksy’s Valentine’s Day Mascara, which appeared on February 14, depicts a 1950s housewife with a swollen eye and missing tooth, wearing an apron and yellow washing-up gloves, and throwing a man into a freezer.

From August 22, art enthusiasts will be able to buy a share of the street art, which has been valued at £6 million total.

A total of 27,000 shares will be made available via marketplace Showpiece.

The artwork was moved to the seaside town’s amusement park Dreamland for public display following its discovery – it is hoped this will remain its official home.

A Dreamland spokesperson said they were “delighted” to be able to continue to give the artwork a home where members of the public could see it for free when the theme park was open.

The original owner of the mural has been represented by Red Eight Gallery.

The gallery’s chief executive Julian Usher said: “I’m so pleased that the Banksy work can be hosted at Dreamland, so that it remains in the town for everyone to come and see.

“The fact that it will be accessible for people to actually own a share in is wonderful, and it also means the mural can now make Margate its official home.”

Showpiece bosses will also be raising funds for the national domestic abuse charity Refuge.

Managing director of Showpiece Aaron Carter said: “Like many of Banksy’s works, Valentine’s Day Mascara highlights a serious subject matter.

“We hope that by working with our charity partners, we can continue to promote the work they accomplish and support the causes Banksy is concerned with.”