Photo Credit: Banksy ‘Tagging Robot’ artwork, NY Post
After 13 years, “Tagging Robot” leaves Coney Island for an estimated $500K.
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, during Banksy’s month-long New York residency, a robot spray-painting a barcode appeared on a warehouse building in Coney Island. The stenciled work, commonly referred to as “Tagging Robot,” was one of several pop-up murals the elusive artist installed across the city that fall.
The Ruocco family recently sold the entire wall featuring the mural for an estimated $500,000, according to reports by the New York Post. The buyer, Foolproof Brewing Company is based in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
At first, the Ruocco family (who own the building), didn’t think much of the artwork. It appeared seemingly overnight, and family members had no idea who the UK graffiti artist Banksy was.
Then the crowds came.
Tourists and street art fans began visiting daily, turning an otherwise unremarkable wall into a destination. To protect the mural from vandalism or damage, the family installed a gate and added security. An unauthorized work had become a cultural asset.
Previously, the brewery acquired another Banksy mural, “Ghetto 4 Life,” in 2024, positioning its campus as an emerging live art destination roughly 60 miles from Brooklyn. “Tagging Robot” is expected to go on view soon, this spring.
What began as an act of guerrilla art morphed into a six-figure transaction and a reminder that in today’s market, even a concrete wall can be monetized.
Banksy has not publicly commented on the sale.
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