Sgarbi pushes restoration of Banksy's Venice migrant mural despite artist's stance

Italian undersecretary for culture Vittorio Sgarbi has initiated the restoration of a Banksy mural in Venice, bypassing standard heritage protection rules. The work, created illegally in May 2019 near Campo San Pantalon in Dorsoduro, depicts a migrant child holding a flare. Sgarbi stated he takes personal responsibility, asserting the intervention overrides any need for the artist's consent or the usual 70-year waiting period for protection. A bank has been secured to cover costs. The author, Fabiola Naldi, criticizes the move as populist propaganda, arguing street art should be left to decay naturally as part of its public nature. She notes Banksy's own website states only Pest Control Office may license his work, and that copyright is for losers. Naldi sees the restoration as contributing to Venice's touristification and cultural gentrification, rather than a long-term cultural vision.