The ‘Migrant Child’ mural by Banksy appeared in May 2019 on the façade of the 16th-century Palazzo San Pantalon in Venice. Depicting a young child in a life jacket holding a pink smoke flare, it has become a symbol of the global migration crisis and has quickly attracted tourists to the Rio di San Pantalon canal area. As one of only two officially acknowledged Banksy works in Italy, Migrant Child has gained iconic street art status, but through years of exposure to humidity, high water levels and salt, it has lost a significant portion of its original paint job.
On Friday 25 August, the first stage of saving the work was completed: conservators trimmed a section of the wall with the painting. After preliminary cleaning and surface stabilisation, the specialists used angle cutters and hand tools to precisely cut away the entire section of plaster. The cut-out section was placed in a special box and transported by boat to the studio, where it will undergo examination and comprehensive conservation under the direction of Federico Borgogni.
The preservation operation was financed by the Venetian bank Banca Ifis, which owns the building, and all the work was carried out in collaboration with people ‘close to Banksy’. Although the cost of the project has not been disclosed, it has been announced that, once restored, the mural will be presented as part of free cultural events organised as part of the Ifis Art cultural programme. The decision to use an innovative method to decorate and transport a section of the façade was the first intervention of its kind in Italy.
Palazzo San Pantalon restoration project
In 2024, Banca Ifis purchased the Palazzo San Pantalon and launched a competition to design the restoration of the historic building. The winner was Zaha Hadid Architects, who developed a plan in their London studio that combines respect for the historic structure with modern solutions for the exhibition spaces. The scope of work includes the comprehensive restoration of the façade, the strengthening of the foundations, the restoration of the Venetian water gate and the creation of interiors dedicated to exhibitions of contemporary paintings and installations.
Controversy surrounding the intervention
The decision to remove the mural sparked a lively debate in the art community. Some critics argued that the transient nature of the work was in keeping with Banksy’s intention and that a renovation would disrupt the authenticity of the message. On the other hand, Italian cultural institutions, including Deputy Minister Vittorio Sgarbi, stressed the need to protect even fresh works by contemporary artists.
Once the conservation work has been completed, Migrant Child is to be assembled on a stable honeycomb base, which will allow the damaged sections to be retouched using plaster and matching colours. Ultimately, the mural will not go to a closed museum institution, but will return to the public space in a specially prepared exhibition hall.
Palazzo San Pantalon is a 17th century Baroque palazzo located on Campo Santa Croce in the Santa Croce district of Venice. The building is two storeys high and offers around 400sqm of interior space, with its façade facing the Rio di San Pantalon. In May 2019, its façade featured the ‘Migrant Child’ mural by Banksy, one of the few officially confirmed Venetian street art projects by the artist. In March 2024, Palazzo San Pantalon was purchased by Italy’s Banca Ifis, which announced that it would be transformed into a centre for contemporary art exhibitions and headquarters for its Venetian offices.
source: Zaha Hadid Architects
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