VENICE - Scaffolding went up in Venice on Tuesday to restore a mural by the elusive street artist Banksy that had appeared on the side of a 17th century building in the lagoon city six years ago.
"Migrant Child" shows a boy wearing a life jacket and holding a pink flare, representing the artist's support for migrant sea rescue charities.
But being exposed to Venice's notorious humidity and painted on the canal-facing side of a crumbling palazzo, it was in danger of fading into oblivion.
The building, unoccupied when Banksy worked on it, was bought last year by an Italian bank that is now funding its entire restoration, mural included.
Banca Ifis is planning to turn the Palazzo San Pantalon into an exhibition space linked to the Venice Biennale art fair, it said in a statement.
The three-story building is in the Dorsoduro neighbourhood, near Venice's main university. The well-known Zaha Hadid Architects studio is working on the renovation project.
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