BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Eytan Rosenberg had no idea that the man he let paint a mural on the side of his family’s gas station in Hollywood was the darling of the art world.

Rosenberg had never even heard of Banksy when the elusive British street artist stenciled “Flower Girl” on the brick wall of the station in 2008.

Now, the 9-by-8-foot artwork depicting a young girl with a basket of flowers and a security camera perching over her like a vulture is set to go on the auction block, and auctioneer Michael Doyle says it could fetch as much as $300,000 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills.

It will be one of five auctioned pieces that Banksy created on plywood and concrete walls and doors. The works by the provocative artist who shuns the spotlight were on display this week alongside stage costumes worn by famous rockers at the gallery that specializes in celebrity memorabilia.

Rosenberg is now well aware of the reputation of Banksy. When he sold the gas station last year, he removed the artwork and installed it in an aluminum frame.

 


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