The pitch has been made, now it's on Banksy whether or not he chooses to swing at it. Nelson Saiers of Saiers Capital, LLC heard that the street artist was in New York City for an artist's residency and allegedly wrote him a letter via HeyBanksy.com. The letter (shown above) is more of a request, asking Banksy to "use his art" to help those "still suffering" from the damage that Hurricane Sandy caused last year in and around the New York/New Jersey area. In exchange for a tribute piece, the letter offers Banksy assistance in finding a legal canvas to work on and says that Saiers will give $100,000 to a "relevant charity."
Is this a legit request? And will the mysterious artist heed the call and do a solid for the victims of Hurricane Sandy? Stay tuned....
UPDATE October 28, 2013 4:20 p.m.: Nelson Saiers has decided not to wait for Banksy to accept his invitation and will donate money anyway. The following is from the second letter he wrote the artist via HeyBanksy.com:
As the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy is upon us, I’ve decided to waive the criterion on my ORIGINAL LETTER and will donate the original $100,000 to WORLD VISION to benefit underprivileged children in Sandy affected areas. At this point, the anonymous donors are waiting to see if you will accept the original offer before donating the remaining $142,000. As art is subjective, if you have already completed a piece fulfilling the requirement please contact me. Speaking of great art, during your residency if you haven’t seen Swoon’s Hurricane Sandy mural you should check it out. She’s doing an amazing thing. Cheers, Nelson.
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[via HeyBanksy]