Banksy ‘Migrant Child’ Mural Removed from Palazzo San Pantalon, Italy
Banksy’s Migrant Child, the life-jacketed figure raising a pink distress flare, has been removed from the canal-facing wall of Palazzo San Pantalon in Venice for conservation. The delicate overnight detachment was carried out in late July 2025 after scaffolding and site safeguarding began in mid-June. Officials say the intervention was undertaken in consultation with people close to the artist, with the goal of preserving the work for future public display.
Image Credit: Massimo Listri
Years of tidal splash, salt and humidity had eroded roughly a third of the stencil, prompting conservators to lift the mural from the building’s façade to halt further loss. The restoration is overseen by art restorer Federico Borgogni.
Banca Ifis, which acquired Palazzo San Pantalon, is financing both the mural’s conservation and the palazzo’s redevelopment, with Zaha Hadid Architects guiding the building restoration. The bank says the piece will be shown to the public free of charge once conservation is complete.
Created during the night of 8–9 May in the Italian city’s Dorsoduro district during the Venice Biennale 2019 art fair., Migrant Child was officially attributed to Banksy via his instagram post. The removal of this popular piece has become a touchstone for debate around how (and whether) to preserve street art outside its original context.
Image Credit: Banksy
Citics counter that ephemerality is intrinsic to street art’s meaning. Migrant Child sits at the heart of this conversation, inviting reflection on how cities care for art that was never meant to be permanent.