A women from New York was heading home from work when she purchased graffiti artwork from a subway vendor – and it turns out the pieces could be worth millions.
Colleen Alexander bought two pieces which resembled the work of anonymous muralist Banksy – for $60 each.
When she returned home, she took to TikTok to share her story through a series of videos which have now gone viral.
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She told BuzzFeed: “I was definitely familiar with Banksy and his story and social message/cultural critiques of art and the art world, but I did not follow him or his history very closely.
“I always appreciated his roots as a graffiti artist who believed art was for the public.”
The original TikTok sharing her story now has 8 million views.
Maybe I fell for an elaborate tourist trap, or maybe I made the best decision of my life ##banksy ##art
Colleen has also posted videos covering everything from the authentication process, returning to the subway stop and describing the surge in messages she’s been getting from people who want to buy the Banksy art from her.
She told BuzzFeed: “I have never felt such a rush from street art before, and never felt called to buy a piece quite as strongly as I felt called to this one.
“I decided to share the video on TikTok out of pure excitement.
“I had already called several friends that evening to tell them my story, but I was still so full of shock and wonder that I wanted to share it more.”
This isn’t the first time that Banksy has secretly sold art in New York.
Back in 2013, he sold spray-painted pieces at a stall in Central Park for $60.
At the time, each piece was valued at $31,000 – although they are believed to be worth far more today.
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