Banksy mural finds home at New Orleans International House

British street artist Banksy helped himself to several outdoor canvases after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. One of the 16 buildings he “embellished” with his street art in August 2008 (Katrina’s third anniversary) was a warehouse co-owned by hotelier Sean Cummings and actor-author HillHarper. 

The 10-foot by 10-foot artwork known as “Looters,” features two men stealing electronics and pushing the objects through a window from a  grocery shopping cart.

Cummings and Harper hoped to turn the warehouse near the Mississippi River into lofts and restaurants but the city denied their plans. Instead, the duo sold the property but saved the mural which has now found a home at the boutique hotel, the International House, located at 221 Camp Street in New Orleans' Central Business District. 

“Looters” has been restored after a five-year, $50,000 restoration to remove graffiti and paint and installed in the hotel adjacent to a room that celebrates the artist with Banksy quotes, photographs, storytelling and local lore, according to the hotel’s press release.

Only three of the original 17 Banksy murals still exist in New Orleans today.