3:33pm UK, Thursday May 19, 2005

A self-styled art terrorist has caused embarrassment at the British Museum in London by installing his own 'primative' painting of a caveman pushing a supermarket trolley.

The artwork appeared in the Roman Britain gallery.

180 british museum banksy shopping trolley hoax

Roman trolley fooled museum

Trolleys were first used in the Piggly-Wiggly Supermarket chain, Oklahoma City, in 1937.

The bizarre exhibit, labelled Early Man Goes to Market, was a hoax put there by Banksy, the most famous art terrorist in the country.

Banksy announced on his website that Early Man, painted on a piece of rock 10in by 6in found in Peckham, had "remained in the collection for quite some time".

Museum staff found the rock in Gallery 41 but they had no idea how long it had been there.

Banksy, who calls himself a graffiti artist, has pulled similar stunts to mock the art world at Tate Britain, the Natural History Museum and major galleries in New York in the last few years.

He has attempted to remain anonymous but he is believed to be Robert Banks, aged about 30, from Bristol. 

In Bristol, his name is spray-painted around the city and he has become something of a legend and cult figure.