Advertisement Banana painting left at Cincinnati museum, and Banksy may be involved Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A painting was curiously hung on the wall of a Cincinnati museum, and evidence suggests that international art prankster Banksy may be behind the stunt.Banksy, an anonymous and elusive street artist, is know across the world for his satirical street art. He made worldwide news in October for shredding one of his own paintings – worth $1.4 million – after it sold at auction.His works of social and political commentary have appeared on streets, walls and bridges of major cities across the globe.And he may have left his mark in Cincinnati.On Dec. 5, 2018, a small painting of a half-peeled banana was hung – without permission – on the walls of Cincinnati's Contemporary Art Center.The painting hung for a matter of minutes in the "Mamma Andersson: Memory Banks" exhibit before it was discovered, museum officials said.According to Joshua Mattie, communications director with the Contemporary Arts Center, a guard on duty at the museum was approached by visitors claiming to be "vlogging" about their visit. That guard gave the vloggers a brief tour, and upon returning to his post, he discovered the painting hung on the opposite end of the gallery, Mattie said.It was immediately taken down."Once a report was processed by security, the (painting) was placed in the lost and found where it can be claimed by its owner, as is our policy," Mattie said in a statement.Since December, that painting has sat quietly in the museum's lost and found. It will be released to its original owner upon proof.In mid-January, a Cincinnati artist who pseudonymously goes by the name Frizk entered the story.Frizk claims that he placed the painting in the museum on behalf of Banksy, and he has rather convincing evidence to support his story.Frizk operates an urban art account on Instagram. He claims he was contacted by Banksy through direct message on the social media platform.And he has video of his conversation with Bansky to prove it.A video shows an exchange between Banksy and Frizk, which links back to Banksy's verified Instagram account. Click here to see the video of the full conversation.The message details plans to hang a painting in a "Mamma Andersson" exhibit."Honestly, I'd rather have the art museum just hang it up then have them give it back to me. If they hung it up in their museum, it would prove my point about perspective correct," one of the messages from Banksy reads.So what's next for the alleged Banksy work?Frizk said he does not know what is in store the painting. He said his main goal is to have the museum put the painting back up."I will say that we have another plan in case they decide not to put it up yet, but we have to keep that a secret for now," Frizk said in an email.Mattie said Frizk's story is believable.In a statement, Mattie said: "As to the claim of any involvement by Banksy -- the CAC has a long history of supporting and exhibiting the work of artists aligned with street art from the auspicious Beautiful Losers exhibition in 2004 to major exhibitions by JR, Swoon and Shepard Fairey. It wouldn't be surprising if Banksy wanted to participate in this legacy. However, since the identity of Banksy has never been officially acknowledged, it would be difficult to confirm if he was actually involved or visited the museum."