Photo: Did Banksy And Graffiti Legend Cope2 Collaborate In The Bronx? (Update: No)

Via @MrCope2 on Twitter

Banksy is apparently in the crosshairs of the NYPD, if you believe the NY Post (it's unclear if Banksy does). Last night, notable homegrown NYC graffiti artist Cope2 posted an intriguing image of what he says was a collaboration between himself and Banksy in the South Bronx—a stencil of a pig with "NYPD!" on it and COPE's tag above it.

Cope posted the image on Instagram, but it seems to be gone (see a screengrab below). However, he also Tweeted it at Fox News and the NY Post:

Banksy enthusiast Nic Garcia told us he thinks it's authentic, given "how clean and crisp the stencil is." Our own graffiti expert Jake Dobkin agreed, "The stencil looks right, and Banksy has been trying to repair his relationship with old school graffiti artists since the Robbo fiasco in 2009" when Banksy covered up London graffit artist King Robbo's work.

"Also Cope has done a bunch of collaborations with Shepard Fairey, who's friends with Banksy," Dobkin said, "so this would've been easy for him to set up."

Cope had incurred the wrath of the city and NYPD with his prolific tagging of subway trains (here's an example)—he was arrested in 2010 for tagging a train in the Bronx. He once left an expletive-filled message on anti-graffiti City Council Member Peter Vallone Jr.'s voicemail, because Vallone opposed a block party for the launch of a graffiti video game, claiming it would inspire more graffiti. A judge eventually ruled the party could go on, wryly noting, "By the same token, presumably, a street performance of 'Hamlet' would be tantamount to encouraging revenge murder."

Update: It looks like it's not a collaboration—WHY GOD!!!