Advertiser ‘pissed’ after Banksy billboard removed

Graffiti artist Banksy has provoked a storm in Los Angeles after defacing a billboard advert on Sunset Strip. The anger, however, is not directed at the celebrated vandal - whose documentary has been nominated for an Oscar - but at the billboard owner, CBS Outdoor, who wasted no time in ripping down the 'artwork'.

The graffiti (above) depicts a drunken, lecherous Mickey Mouse with his arm draped around a scantily clad model while a stoned Minnie Mouse looks on. The model is part of the defaced advertisement, paid for by The Light Group, the nightclubs and restaurants group based in Las Vegas.

The billboard is situated above Norm's 76, a petrol station and garage, which according to gossip site TMZ, is frequented by Hollywood action stars like John Travolta and Sylvester Stallone.

Norm's 76, then, was delighted to become associated with a star graffiti artist whose works have been purchased by Hollywood royalty Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and whose film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, is up for an Oscar. They even posted pictures of the Banksy-tagged billboard on their Facebook page.

When the billboard's owner, CBS Outdoor, promptly removed the vandalised advert, mortified garage employees reportedly offered $10,000 for it.

And Norm's 76 weren't the only company annoyed by CBS Outdoor's perceived philistinism. A spokesman for The Light Group told TMZ that they were really "pissed" that the advert had been removed without their say-so.

"We're extremely pissed," said the spokesman. "It's our billboard that got tagged... it's not their billboard... CBS clearly has zero appreciation for art.

"We were flattered Banksy tagged on our ad - it was epic."

The company says they now own the Banksy artwork, but there's no word yet on where they plan to display it. ·