December 9, 2021
The artwork that appeared on the wall of
Reading prison in March. (Photo by: David Hartley)
Banksy has offered to
raise millions of pounds towards buying Reading prison, where Oscar Wilde was
once held, so that it can be turned into an arts center.
Already famous for The Picture of
Dorian Gray and The Importance of
Being Earnest, Wilde was imprisoned in Reading Gaol for two years beginning
in 1895 for “gross indecency” resulting from having relationships with men. It
was during his hard-labor sentence that Wilde wrote De Profundis, a posthumously published letter to his lover which
mapped out the ill-fated course of their relationship and Wilde’s own
ruminations on his life and career
Banksy has promised to match the jail’s £10m asking price by
selling the stencil he used to paint on the Grade II-listed building in March,
a move campaigners hope will prevent it from being sold to housing developers.
Banksy’s contribution, together with Reading borough council’s would bring the
offer for the former jail to an estimated £12.6m.
Pest Control, Banksy’s
authentication board said, the pledge of the funds was dependent on the MoJ
awarding the bid to Reading Borough Council and the jail being turned into a
center for the arts. The street artist said: “I had very little interest in
reading until I was on a rail replacement bus service that went past jail.
Banksy stated, “Converting
the place that destroyed him [Wilde] into a refuge for art feels so perfect we
have to do it.” The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said: “The deadline for bids has
passed.” However, it added “We are currently considering the ones we received”
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