“Toxic Fuel” (Birmingham, UK, 2001) Stencil and Spray Paint on Plywood (unframed) 83.5 x 119 cm (32.9 x 46.9 in) Very Good PUBLICATIONS - Listed in the Catalogue Raisonne of Banksy’s Street Art (2023), as No. 613c. NOTE This fine artwork appeared on a large piece of plywood which was being used to repair some dilapidated wooden car park gates on Dean St, Birmingham in 2001. The piece, which has been in the same collection since that time, was removed by the current owners with the permission of the car park’s proprietors, who released the stencil to them in exchange for a freshly installed replacement piece of plywood. The lot includes written confirmation of the acquisition from the current owners. The car park was subsequently redeveloped and replaced with a Travelodge hotel. DESCRIPTION One of the artist’s lesser known stencils, which appeared in Birmingham in the late 1990’s and then in the early 2000’s in Osaka, Japan. The artwork depicts an adult pouring a noxious liquid into the open, hinged head of a young child. Laden with Banksy’s observational wit, it is a very powerful image and a rare example of the design, with very few others believed to have been saved.