Banksy fans saying the same thing as mysterious new artwork of Wizard of Oz scene appears

This striking mural of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz is rumoured to be painted by the renowned graffiti artist Banksy.

The etching appeared “overnight” on the side of a bar in Birmingham’s Gay Village and, after speculation on social media, an art critic said the work had “all the hallmarks of Banksy.”

Ruth Millington, an art historian and critic, assessed the artwork, which depicts Dorothy reaching for a pair of ruby high-heels hung on a nearby electric cable. She said: “Banksy doesn’t just stick to 2D art, he plays with objects in real life. We can see the artwork interacting with the shoes on the telephone wire which is very clever. It’s also interesting to note that Banksy has used Dorothy in his art before, he likes putting her in interesting places.

“We can see the artwork interacting with the shoes on the telephone wire which is very clever. It’s also interesting to note that Banksy has used Dorothy in his art before, he likes putting her in interesting places.

“Banksy does site-specific artworks which carry meaning too. Here we’ve got Dorothy in the Gay Village, and her red shoes definitely carry associations with gay and queer culture where she’s become a bit of an icon.

“I think the timing is quite interesting too, we’re hearing a lot about the city’s cultural scene and the cuts it’s facing – and this could be Banksy drawing attention to that. For me it’s got all the elements a Banksy would have, whereas copycat artwork tends to not include all of these elements together. There’s clearly thinking behind this artwork.”

The director of the pub, which is called Sidewalk, told Birmingham Live he was alerted to the mural’s appearance on Wednesday morning. Phil Oldershaw, its boss, said: “We don’t know where it’s come from.

“It wasn’t there when the manager locked up last night. It’s still a mystery. I’ve asked our maintenance team to go and cover it in perspex – I’m going to protect it whether it’s Banksy or not. It would be a great thing for Birmingham – and it makes Southside (the area of the city centre) look great too.”

Banksy is believed to have been behind artwork which appeared in the Jewellery Quarter area of the city in 2019. It depicted a pair of galloping reindeer, in a powerful message about homelessness. Speaking at the time, one business owner said the Banksy connection was “fantastic for the area”.

But elsewhere in the same city today, council contractors painted over a tribute mural to poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who the Mirror reported, died aged 65 in December last year after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.