Zabars Banksy
The only remaining Banksy artwork is known as the “Zabar Banksy” (or ‘Hammer Boy’). This can be found on the south wall of Designer Shoe Warehouse, located at the intersection of 79th Street and Broadway, and was first spotted on the tan brick wall of a shoe store on October 20, 2013. Banksy’s ‘Hammer Boy’ in NY.16 Oct 2023
Description
Zabar’s (/ˈzeɪ.bɑːrz/ ZAY-barz) is an appetizing store at 2245 Broadway and 80th Street, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, founded by Louis Zabar and Lillian Zabar. It is known for its selection of bagels, smoked fish, olives, and cheeses. While considered a Jewish delicatessen, Zabar’s does not serve kosher food.
2011 Lobster Salad Controversy
In 2011, Zabar’s briefly got nationwide attention from news outlets when a reporter for New Orleans’ Times-Picayune observed that the store’s product labeled “Lobster Salad” actually contained no lobster. The New York Times reported that the store “charged $16.95 a pound” for the seafood spread made mostly of salted crawfish and mayonnaise.
The “Zabar Banksy” (Hammer Boy)
The only remaining Banksy artwork is known as the “Zabar Banksy” (or ‘Hammer Boy’). This can be found on the south wall of Designer Shoe Warehouse, located at the intersection of 79th Street and Broadway, and was first spotted on the tan brick wall of a shoe store on October 20, 2013. Banksy’s ‘Hammer Boy’ in NY.16 Oct 2023
Description and Origin of the Mural
The mural depicts a young child swinging a sledgehammer at a fire hydrant attached to a building on the corner of W. 79th Street and Broadway. The anonymous street artist painted it in October 2013 as part of a monthlong art spree that he called “Better Out Than In,” in which he created a new work each day.
Preservation and Ownership
The building it is painted on, 2220 Broadway, is owned by the Zabar family and Scott Goldshine, the manager of Zabar’s, has been among those at the company tasked with protecting the work since it went up. The building previously housed a DSW shoe store and will soon house a P.C. Richard & Son appliance store.
Cultural Impact and Media Appearances
“We had no idea it was going to become as big a tourist attraction as it has become. But we felt it was art and we liked art, and it was special, so we immediately happened to have some materials in our basement and so we covered it up,” Goldshine said.
Zabars appears in You’ve Got Mail, Will & Grace, Dream On, How I Met Your Mother, Mad About You, Friends, Sex and the City, The Nanny, Seinfeld, Heart of Dixie, Law & Order, Gossip Girl.
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