In what may be one of the most audacious art rescue stories of recent decades, a dump truck driver armed with only a flashlight and an instinct for preserving culture pulled off a remarkable street art salvation in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward on a dark evening in 2010. Ronnie Fredericks had spotted something worth saving beneath layers of vandalism, setting in motion a chain of events that would involve clandestine phone calls, disguised cargo shipments to Italy, breakthrough chemistry, and even a convicted con artist.
Three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, Bristol street artist Banksy had left his mark on New Orleans with 17 provocative murals scattered throughout the urban landscape. One of these pieces, titled "Boy on a Life Preserver Swing," adorned the side wall of the Fat Cat, a local biker bar in the heavily damaged Lower Ninth Ward. However, when vandals covered the artwork with red spray paint and the building faced demolition, most observers assumed the piece was lost forever.
Ronnie Fredericks saw it differently. That fateful night, he returned to the site with his flashlight and carefully loaded 28 red-stained cinderblocks into his truck, trusting that somewhere beneath the layers of graffiti lay a piece of modern art history. Over the next decade, Fredericks moved house five times, each time hauling his mysterious cargo along, much to the confusion of his young daughter who couldn't understand why her father was so attached to a pile of painted blocks.
In 2021, Fredericks finally made contact with Sean Cummings, a New Orleans hotelier and cultural preservationist, using a borrowed phone and a fake name for the initial call. Cummings, intrigued by the cryptic conversation, called back within 30 minutes. This marked the beginning of an unlikely partnership that would test the limits of art conservation technology.
Cummings isn't your typical property developer. "I think of myself more as 'artist with buildings' than real estate developer," he explains. "I love cities: the energy of great cities, and New Orleans most of all." His passion for rebel artists runs deep, extending from Steve Jobs to John McEnroe to Basquiat, Banksy, and Bukowski. "My whole life, I've been drawn to the rebels and rebel artists themselves, more than their art," he says.
When asked why he was willing to invest significant resources in preserving the Banksy piece, Cummings's response blended pragmatism with poetry. "Who knows what should be ephemeral or eternal in life? I don't. But Banksy's cogent message in these 17 murals is that New Orleans matters; that this special city was worth saving after the Katrina catastrophe. I did a lot to save this city too, and I think his art—this extraordinary tribute to New Orleans—was likewise worth saving."
The restoration process would prove to be a monumental challenge that pushed art conservation into uncharted territory. Art restorer Elise Grenier, who had previously worked on Cummings's other Banksy piece called "Looters," faced the seemingly impossible task of removing spray paint from spray paint, with no atmospheric deposits between the layers to aid in separation. Traditional conservation methods failed completely, leaving Grenier at what appeared to be an insurmountable impasse.
Serendipity intervened in the form of Michele Baglioni, an Italian colleague who had developed a revolutionary gel specifically designed for removing modern paints. The experimental process required shipping a cracked cinderblock to Florence, Italy, disguised as "modern building material" to avoid unwanted attention from authorities or art dealers. When initial testing revealed a portion of the boy's back beneath the red vandalism, Grenier knew they had achieved a breakthrough.
This collaboration between a truck driver, hotelier, art conservator, and Italian chemist might seem improbable to most, but for Cummings, it felt entirely natural. "I'm always bringing together gifted people from different walks of life to create the special buildings we create," he explains. "And so working with this improbable cast of characters seemed perfectly normal. My kinda gig, not in any way out of my comfort zone."
Cummings's comfort with unconventional partnerships extended to his choice of guests for the artwork's public unveiling in November of last year. He flew in fashion expert Kelly Cutrone and notorious con artist Anna Delvey—the real-life subject of the Netflix drama "Inventing Anna"—to celebrate the successful restoration. While they might seem like unlikely guests for an art unveiling, Cummings had his reasons.
"Kelly is a dear friend and impossibly talented. She knows everyone, not only in fashion but also in art; her then-husband, Ronnie, had been Andy Warhol's right-hand man," Cummings explains. "Since she and Anna Delvey launched the Outlaw Agency and hosted the most acclaimed show at Fashion Week 2023, well, obviously, I had to get these two extraordinary, fun, funny, smart, rebel women and PR pros to both unveil this iconic mural and tell this extraordinary story. Even though I had to write to Anna's probation officer to get permission."
Cutrone, who "humorously declared 'squatter's rights'" on Sean's historic property, represents exactly the kind of creative energy he seeks to attract. "She loves New Orleans and visits three times a year for sacred music festivals and high holy days on the Vodou calendar," he notes with approval.
The fully restored "Boy on a Life Preserver Swing" now hangs prominently in the lobby of the International House, Cummings's boutique hotel in downtown New Orleans. For him, this placement serves a purpose far deeper than mere decoration. "My hotel began life as the first-ever World Trade Center, and its world-class architecture and soaring lobby practically beg for beautiful art," he explains. "Banksy is the most famous artist in the world, and street art is a public good. These are modern frescos that people can see any time, without paying admission to a museum or being invited to some wealthy dude's private collection."
This democratic approach to art access reflects Cummings's broader philosophy about street art's vital role in urban culture. "I like the creative riff of text and paint laced with that rebel spirit," he says enthusiastically. "Always a finger in the eye of the Establishment and call for a higher level of conduct. Often caustic wit, sometimes sacred archetypes. Like Émile Zola, they came to 'live out loud', and their voices echo from the art."
The successful restoration represents a groundbreaking achievement in art conservation. "Plus we're the first people in the world to save a spray-paint mural covered by spray-paint," Cummings notes with evident pride. "Kinda cool!" The project required developing entirely new techniques and international collaboration, setting a precedent for future street art preservation efforts.
In a city where culture serves as both economic engine and spiritual sustenance, this slightly unconventional art rescue story stands as a testament to humanity's enduring ability to recognize and nurture creativity in the most unexpected places. The tale should inspire creatives everywhere, demonstrating that with enough determination, ingenuity, and willingness to embrace the unconventional, even the most seemingly impossible cultural preservation projects can succeed.
