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Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique.
- Bristol, England
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Nov 21, 2023 · Learn about Banksy, the anonymous street artist known for his provocative stenciled pieces and political themes. Find out his real name, his famous works, his documentary, and his impact on the art world.
- Overview
- Early career
- West Bank murals, “Barely Legal,” and “Cans Festival”
- Exit Through the Gift Shop and books
- Dismaland, Walled Off Hotel, and later works
- Banksy at auction
- Legal battles
Banksy is an anonymous graffiti artist who may have been born in Bristol, England. He is known for his anti-authoritarian art, often done in public places. He came to notice as a freehand graffiti artist. With wry wit and stealth, Banksy merged graffiti art with installation and performance art.
When did Banksy paint on the West Bank wall?
In 2005 Banksy painted a wall on the Palestinian side of the West Bank. On the viewer’s side, children play on a forlorn patch of earth; through an apparent hole in the wall, there is a scene of a perfect tropical beach.
What is Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop about?
Exit Through the Gift Shop is a 2010 film directed by Banksy. It is a documentary that ostensibly profiled the lives and work of the world’s most talented graffiti artists. Critics were divided on the film, though, as some chose to accept it at face value while others saw it as a satire.
How much did Banksy's Devolved Parliament sell for?
Though Banksy’s identity was well guarded, he came to notice as a freehand graffiti artist in 1993. Using stencils since 2000 to enhance his speed, he developed a distinctive iconography of highly recognizable images, such as rats and policemen, that communicated his antiauthoritarian message. With wry wit and stealth, Banksy merged graffiti art with installation and performance. In the 2003 exhibition “Turf War,” he painted on the bodies of live pigs. At his “Crude Oils” exhibition in London in 2005, which featured altered replicas of the works of Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Edward Hopper, he released 200 live rats in the gallery. In 2005 Banksy, fully disguised, installed his own works on the walls of major museums in New York City and London, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tate Britain.
Britannica Quiz
In 2005 Banksy also painted a wall on the Palestinian side of the West Bank: on the viewer’s side, children play on a forlorn patch of earth, while through an apparent hole in the wall there is a scene of a perfect tropical beach. Banksy described himself as a “quality vandal,” challenging the authority of political and art institutions on both the...
Banksy’s books—which included Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall (2001), Existencilism (2002), and Wall and Piece (2005)—documented his projects; iconic examples of his work, including a life-size image of two policemen kissing, were featured in the bleak futuristic film Children of Men (2006). Banksy directed the 2010 film Exit Through the Gif...
In September 2015 Banksy debuted Dismaland, his most elaborate project to date, in Weston-super-Mare, England. The temporary amusement park and conceptual art show, which included work from other artists, was described by Banksy as “a family attraction that acknowledges inequality and impending catastrophe.” Among the sites and features was a fake security checkpoint created by Bill Barminski where visitors’ belongings were examined in a cardboard X-ray machine, and disgruntled greeters circulated through the park wearing shirts that read “Dismal.” The park also hosted late-night parties and concerts by various bands. Dismaland closed in September 2015.
Banksy’s next grand-scale project, the Walled Off Hotel, opened in Bethlehem in 2017. Constructed next to the barrier wall that separates Israel from the Palestinian territories, the hotel sardonically boasts “the worst view of any hotel in the world” and contains rooms decorated with original work by the artist and a gallery exhibiting work by Palestinian artists. That same year Banksy addressed “Brexit,” the scheduled exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU), by painting on the side of a building in Dover the flag of the EU and a labourer poignantly removing one of its stars.
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In late 2018 Girl with Balloon (2006), a canvas version of one of Banksy’s most popular murals, startled onlookers at an auction when the work seemingly self-destructed by partly shredding just after selling for $1.4 million. As speculation about the meaning of the stunt and about the involvement of the auction house erupted on social media, Banksy...
Although he was increasingly famous, Banksy remained anonymous; his rare interviews were conducted via e-mail or with responses delivered by an altered voice on tape. He remained committed to street art, declaring that life in a city in which graffiti was legal would be “like a party where everyone was invited.” Nonetheless, the popularity of Banks...
- Debra N. Mancoff
Learn how the British street artist became an international icon by subverting the art world with his stencils, graffiti and activism. Discover his origins, influences, style and controversies in this comprehensive profile.
Learn about Banksy, the anonymous British graffiti artist and political activist who uses humor and satire to create social and political messages on the street. Explore his biography, artistic legacy, and important works such as Kissing Coppers and Rage, the Flower Thrower.
- British
- Bristol, England
Feb 14, 2020 · Learn about the anonymous British graffiti artist who creates political and social messages with his stencils. Find out how he became famous, what his work is worth and why he keeps his identity a secret.
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Mar 18, 2024 · Getty Images. Banksy has become one of the world's most famous artists. Banksy rose to prominence after he began spray-painting his now-trademark stencilled designs around Bristol in the early...
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