Banksy’s San Francisco legacy: High-value art

 A piece of a Victorian home with Banksy's work on it was taken from San Francisco to Santa Barbara to be framed for display. Paul Schurch, second from right, speaks with Scott Haskins about framing the piece.

 Left to right, Scott Haskins, Francesca Ruggeri
and Oriana Montemurro examine the piece by Banksy.

 Paul Schurch takes a close look at the Banksy graffiti.

 A painting of a rat clutching a magic marker by the anonymous street artist Banksy is shown before its removal from the side of the Red Victorian inn at 1665 Haight St. in San Francisco. Banksy left the graffiti there in 2010.

 A piece of a Victorian home with Banksy's work on it was taken from San Francisco to Santa Barbara to be framed for display. Paul Schurch, second from right, speaks with Scott Haskins about framing the piece.

This month, a street art enthusiast kicked off a campaign to save a work of graffiti painted in San Francisco by British street artist Banksy.

The once-fringe artist has reached growing audiences in recent years after the release of “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” his Oscar-nominated documentary film. In October 2013, Banksy again gained mass attention with a month long residency in New York.

But in 2010, before he reached his current level of mainstream popularity, Banksy painted a series of works around San Francisco, hitting neighborhoods like the Mission and Chinatown. We’ve collected a number of images of Banksy’s San Francisco work in the slideshow above with help from KQED Arts. Also included are images of Banksy’s work from Los Angeles, New York and the West Bank.
Brian Greif, 53, worked to save a stenciled rat that was spray painted on the side of an historic building on Haight Street before the owner painted over it.

In keeping with a promise, Greif is rejecting six-figure offers to sell the work as he tries to find a public home for it.

Greif’s efforts to restore and display the painting, however, showcase the complicated debate about preserving and profiting from street art.