It’s in the lobby! Unexpected or what?
If you’re looking to see one of the works of art of famous Banksy, you could find one just walking around the hotel lobby of The International House Boutique Hotel. Yes! It might sound strange, but it’s legit.
Banksy spent some time in NOLA after the Katrina hurricane, and he created 15 works of art made with stencils. Four still survive to this day. Sadly, most of them were vandalized, erased by time, or overpainted by unhappy property owners.
Luckily, Banksy chose to paint on one of Sean Cummings’ warehouse walls. The original painting was called “The Looters” and tells the story of when the National Guard was deployed to New Orleans to evacuate and rehabilitate after the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005. However, it seems that Banksy wanted to send a strong message of social criticism, painting the soldiers as individuals who couldn’t be trusted.
The mural was painted in 2008, and Cummings did all he could to protect it, but in the end, it was painted over, stenciled over, and even a political poster was stuck over it. Before selling the warehouse in 2014, he decided to cut the painting from the wall and got a team of professionals to restore it. The mural weighed approximately 1600 pounds. In the end, he spent more than 50k on the project, but it was all worth it when it arrived in its new home, the lobby of the International House Hotel, which he owns too.
If you decide to visit the hotel to see the mural, don’t miss the “Banksy Room,” four walls full of quotes from the famous British artist and photos of the process of removing the mural.
Where: 📍 221 Camp St
Featured image by Kat Wheeling @katforshort