''The Drinker'' is a statue by graffiti artist
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams ...
, not to be confused with the stencil of the same name, a graffiti artwork of a rat drinking a cocktail, on a wall at North Beach,
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
, England.
History
In 2004, the statue was placed, in a small square at Princes Circus, on
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadilly Cir ...
, between New Oxford Street and High Holborn,
central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...
.
It is a subversive comment using ''
The Thinker
''The Thinker'' (french: Le Penseur) is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin
François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled tradi ...
'' by
Auguste Rodin
François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
.
In March 2004,
''The Drinker'' was stolen by "art terrorist", football hooligan
Andy Link, a former porn star,
with an arrest record,
and a record of drug charges,
(also known as AK47).
Around a year after Link took ''The Drinker'', Link says he registered "the lost and found item" with police, and contacted Banksy, asking for £5,000, or an original canvas, "to cover costs".
In 2007,
three years after Link stole it, the sculpture was taken from Link's garden,
while he was away.
In December 2015, Link re-installed, as "The Stinker", "an imitation of Banksy’s sculpture"
"The Drinker", modified with a toilet seat, cistern, and graffiti, in central London.
"The Stinker" (2015) was a commissioned from sculptor Emmanuel Okoro.
The 2016 crowdfunded documentary (with "dream-reenactment sequence", "amusing artifice"
) film ''
The Banksy Job'' is about Andy Link and the work.
See also
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List of works by Banksy
The following is a list of works by Banksy. Banksy, active since the 1990s, is an England-based Graffiti, graffiti artist, political activist and film director whose real identity is unknown. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combi ...
Further reading
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drinker Banksy
2004 works
Sculptures of men
Statues in the United Kingdom
Stolen works of art
Works by Banksy