Banksy

For the payment processor, see Banksys.

Banksy
Banksy art on Brick Lane, East End of London, 2004
Born
Bristol, England[1]
Known forStreet art
Website

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.[2] Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls, and bridges throughout the world.[3] His work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians.[4] Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack.[5]

Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces. He no longer sells photographs or reproductions of his street graffiti, but his public "installations" are regularly resold, often even by removing the wall on which they were painted.[6] Much of his work can be classified as temporary art.[7] A small number of his works are officially, non-publicly, sold through an agency he created called Pest Control.[8] Banksy's documentary film Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.[9] In January 2011, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the film.[10] In 2014, he was awarded Person of the Year at the 2014 Webby Awards.[11]

  1. ^ "Banksy Unveils Valentine's Day Mural in His Hometown of Bristol". Observer. 14 February 2020. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  2. ^ Holzwarth, Hans W. (2009). 100 Contemporary Artists A–Z (Taschen's 25th anniversary special ed.). Köln: Taschen. p. 40. ISBN 978-3-8365-1490-3.
  3. ^ "The Banksy Paradox: 7 Sides to the World's Most Infamous Street Artist Archived 2 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 19 July 2007
  4. ^ Baker, Lindsay (28 March 2008). "Banksy: off the wall". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  5. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Banksy fans fail to bite at street art auction". meeja.com.au. 30 September 2008. Archived from the original on 16 October 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  7. ^ "Banksy: Temporary by Design". Expose. 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  8. ^ Abrams, Loney, How Does Banksy Make Money? (Or, A Quick Lesson in Art Market Economics) Archived 24 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Artspace, 30 March 2018
  9. ^ "Banksy film to debut at Sundance". BBC News. 21 January 2010. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  10. ^ "Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop up for Oscar award". BBC Bristol. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  11. ^ "2014 Webby Awards Person of the Year". Webbyawards.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.