If you’re wandering the Upper West Side, where are the Museum of Natural History, The New York Historical Society, Zabar’s or Barney Greengrass you might consider sauntering along 79th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway.

For a moment in 2013, the graffito produced by Banksy installed there on the north side near 227 West 79th, “Boy With a Hammer” was one of the most sought after street art observer’s destinations in New York.

It depicts a boy playing a carnival strong man game, and is of the style deployed by Banksy that takes advantage of street hardware and fixtures by adding a graphic element tying them together, creating a new ‘whole’.

Immediately following its discovery, “Boy With a Hammer” was covered with a sheet of plexiglass by Leon Zabar, owner of the nearby buildings and stores that bear his name.

For a month that year, Banksy installed about thirty pieces around the boroughs, and many, if not most, have been ‘repurposed’ into their environment. This one is an exception.

This NY Times story tells all.

During March 2018, two new works were spotted — story here.