Banksy buyer plans to build urban art centre in Wales

John Brandler, who paid a six-figure sum for Season's Greetings, is in talks with local officials

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The Essex-based dealer who has bought the Banksy image painted on a garage in Port Talbot says that plans are moving ahead for an urban art centre in the South Wales town. John Brandler bought Season’s Greetings, for an undisclosed six-figure sum; Ian Lewis, a steelworker who owns the garage, told The Sun newspaper that the “offer was less than others but this man [Brandler] agreed to keep it in the town”.

Brandler tells The Art Newspaper: “I visited Port Talbot last Friday and had discussions with the local council and a representative from the Welsh assembly. We looked at several sites in or near the town centre to decide where would be the best place to position [the new centre].” The Welsh government has funded security arrangements after thousands of people turned up to see the piece.

Season's Greetings depicts a child enjoying a snow shower which, from another angle, is revealed as a cascade of ash, alluding possibly to the poor air quality in the area due to local steelworks.

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