Venice, Banksy’s The Migrant Child Opera saved from deterioration thanks to a special and innovative intervention

Risked the progressive and inexorable deterioration and, worse still, the total disappearance The Migrant Childthe work carried out by Banksy In May 2019 in Venice and implemented as an emblem of inclusion and hope, very expensive ideals to the British artist.

To spread his message, Bansky had chosen the facade of Palazzo San Pantalon, but now, “abandoned” for six years, the work had the deterioration of a portion already equal to 30 percent of the surface.

The request for his safeguard had been made by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and to welcome her it took place soon IFIS bank By the will of President Ernesto Fürstenberg Fassio.
In the night between Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 July, The Migrant Child It was removed from the facade of the building to complete its rescue And to ensure that he can continue to spread his precious message of inclusion and hope.

Made in the night between 8 and 9 May 2019, The Migrant Child It is one of the only two works claimed by Banksy and present on Italian soil. The drawing represents the denunciation of the mysterious street artist British towards the theme of migrations: to do it, Banksy depicted a shipwrecked child with the feet immersed in the water of the Venetian lagoon intent on calling help through a position torch that emanates a fuchsia color signal.

The phases of the restoration

The safety works of The Migrant Child The scrupulous restorer Federico Borgogni began on Tuesday 3 June 2025. Specifically, Borgogni has carried out the Deputing phase, surface consolidation and depth and cleaning of the surfacesoperations necessary to proceed with the restoration of the fulfillment between the wall support and the plaster. Then he proceeded to prepare the detachment phase of the portion of the wall on which the work is painted. This phase was completed on the night between Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 July 2025, with the removal of a part of the wall of the facade of the building.

Detachment from the wall, an innovative idea

The safety and rescue works of the work The Migrant Child of Banksy in Venice, made thanks to the intervention of Banca Ifis

@AlfonSocatalano

The choice to preserve the work by detaching the portion of the wall of the building represents a real innovation for the wall restoration in Italy. The pictorial technique used by Banksy, combined with the historical nature of the wall of the palace on which the migrant child was depicted, made the classic restoration techniques used for frescoes and for the street art.
Through detachmentso, Banca Ifis was able to guarantee the full conservation and usability of a unique work of its kindwhich is only the second in Italy officially claimed by Banksy.

The portion of the wall has already been transferred to the laboratory for the execution of the final restoration phases, always by Federico Borgogni. The scheduled intervention provides for the selective removal of the compromised wall areas, with subsequent repositioning of the work on a new alveolar support, suitable for long -term conservation. The grouting of the gaps and a pictorial integration to undertone will follow, conducted with recognition criteria and in compliance with the original matter.

At the end of these works, the restoration will be definitively completed e Banksy’s work will be made again usable to the public in the context of free planning organized by IFIS Art in accordance with the authorities responsible for the protection of the Venetian artistic heritage.