Three works by street artist Banksy have been seized by police as part of an investigation in southeast Wales.

Gwent police seized a sculpture, a satirical portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and another work by the artist.

The artworks were seized in March 2021 as part of a criminal case against a 35-year-old man.

When asked by the Evening Standard, Gwent police were unable to provide details of the seizure of the artworks. The police also did not say where the work is being carried out and what will happen in the future.

All it said was that no comment could be made if criminal charges were pending and that an order to keep Banksy’s work under police supervision was issued by Newport Crown Court last September. The decision is expected to be reviewed at the end of the month.

Three confiscated works

The sculpture, titled Cat Hook, was created by Banksy in 2017 for a political exhibition at The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem. On acrylic and shellac on wood, the figure of Jesus is depicted on the cross, which is also a military hook.

#BanksyX #Anchorsculpture worth over £220,000 was confiscated by police as suspected income from #crime.

To learn more @EveningStandard pic.twitter.com/iREv1kwWmO

— MyArtBroker (@myartbroker) March 7, 2023

In September 2019, Sotheby’s sold the signed version of the sculpture and the original cardboard box for $130,264.

Monkey Queen is a series of color posters created by Banksy in 2003. From September 2019 to April 2022, at least seven copies of the poster were sold at Sotheby’s, with prices ranging from $19,215 to $64,674 across several different auctions.

Three works by Banksy, including a satirical stencil portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth, have been seized by police as part of a criminal investigation in southeast Wales. https://t.co/4CzKJwE0rU

— ARTnews (@artnews) March 9, 2023

According to the Evening Standard, court documents say that Welsh authorities have also confiscated Banksy’s “White Tower” painting worth $2,085.

With information from APE-MPE