Cowell receives Banksy art for Christmas

30/12/2009

Simon Cowell was delighted to receive a specially commissioned piece of Banksy artwork from his record label this Christmas, it has emerged.

According to the Daily Mirror, executives at Syco asked the mysterious graffiti artist to create a one-off reproduction of Rehearsal of the Ballet on Stage, the 1874 masterpiece by Edgar Degas.

The Banksy artwork is worth about £500,000 and features the image of X Factor judge Cowell superimposed over the head of the ballet master.

A source told the newspaper: "Record label execs wanted something unique to give to Simon.

"He's a secret art collector and loves Degas - plus he's a huge fan of Banksy."

Cowell is thought to be so pleased with the picture that he has ordered additional prints to hang in his homes in Barbados and Los Angeles.

Several new Banksy stencils appeared on walls in London earlier this month, in what was believed to be the artist's response to the Copenhagen climate change summit.