For art sake: Secretive artist Banksy pledges millions to save a prison

Banksy is making headlines yet again. He has volunteered to collect millions of pounds to purchase the Reading Prison, where Oscar Wilde was briefly imprisoned, and transform it into an artists centre. It was decommissioned in 2013 and is scheduled to be sold to developers to create homes.

In March this year, Banksy had painted the wall of Reading Prison in Bristol where Oscar Wilde was famously imprisoned. The painting depicts a guy escaping from jail using a bedsheet rope with a typewriter at the end. The creation of the wall artwork hinted to officials that he was lobbying to save the jail.

In March, the prison initially caught the spotlight when a fresh new painting aptly named “Create Escape” appeared overnight on one of the jail’s outer walls. Banksy intends to raise funds by selling the stencil he used for the artwork.

The ultimate secretive street artist has volunteered to raise millions of pounds to buy Reading Prison and transform it into an artists centre. He aims to meet the prison’s asking price of £10 million (AED 48.6 million).

According to reports, bids for the jail closed earlier this year. Still, together with Reading Borough Council’s part, Banksy’s donation would increase the bid for the old jail to an estimated £12.6 million (AED 61.3 million).

The art was soon accompanied by a statement from Banksy.

“Wilde was the patron saint of smashing two contrasting ideas together to create magic,” Banksy said to a local publication, “Converting the place that destroyed him into a refuge for art feels so perfect we have to do it.”

Many celebrities have publicly expressed their support for the Banksy-backed movement to turn the prison into a cultural centre. Along with actors Dame Judi Dench, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Kate Winslet, and Natalie Dormer, local government authorities have also expressed their support for the prison building’s preservation.