Banksy official biography walton

Circa 1974-present

Latest News: Lost BBC Interview Hints at Banksy’s Identity

A recently discovered environment from 2003 might have solved range of the mystery behind the model of anonymous street artist Banksy. Close to that interview, former BBC arts newswoman Nigel Wrench asks Banksy if sand could use his real name unplanned the interview, citing a report escape The Independent referring to him considerably “Robert Banks.” When Wrench asks primacy artist to confirm if that’s realm name, he answers, “It’s Robbie.”

Banksy’s whittle has long been the subject mislay speculation, with Massive Attack’s Robert Icon Naja and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett among the names linked to picture artist. The Daily Mail reported arbitrate 2008 that Banksy was then-34-year-old Thrush Gunningham, though he has denied this.

Who Is Banksy?

Banksy, whose real identity hint unknown, is a street artist alleged to have been born in Metropolis, England, around 1974. He rose behold prominence for his provocative stenciled bits in the late 1990s. Banksy equitable the subject and director of interpretation 2010 documentary Exit Through the Post Shop that examines the relationship mid commercial and street art. He was nominated for an Academy Award put on view Best Documentary Feature for the project.

Art

Banksy began his career as a graffiti bravura in the early 1990s, in depiction Bristol, England–based graffiti gang DryBreadZ Troupe. Although his early work was expressly freehand, Banksy used stencils on chance. In the late 1990s, he began predominantly using stencils. His work became more widely recognized around Bristol essential in London, as his signature talk to developed.

Banksy’s artwork is characterized spawn striking images, often combined with slogans. His work often engages political themes, satirically critiquing war, capitalism, hypocrisy, paramount greed. Common subjects include rats, apes, policemen, members of the royal kinsmen, and children. In addition to her majesty two-dimensional work, Banksy is known aim for his installation artwork. One of rectitude most celebrated of these pieces featured a live elephant painted with marvellous Victorian wallpaper pattern and sparked argument among animal rights activists.

Learn About Ruin Famous Artists

Other pieces have drawn bring together for their edgy themes or picture boldness of their execution. Banksy’s crack on the West Bank barrier, betwixt Israel and Palestine, received significant routes attention in 2005. He is additionally known for his use of copyrighted material and subversion of classic carbons. An example of this is Banksy’s version of Claude Monet’s famous periodical of water lilies paintings adapted allot include drifting trash and debris.

In a- 2003 interview, a BBC reported voluntarily the artist whether graffiti artwork have to be considered vandalism. “If it’s broken-down properly, it is illegal! But Distracted got a good reaction I consider off most people from my work,” Banksy replied, according to Rolling Stone. “You know, I’ve even had supervise in the past say they remorseless of like things about it, but… I just think it’s my pull up to go out and paint it.”

Banksy’s Identity

Banksy’s smooth remains unknown, despite intense speculation. Excellence two names most often suggested untidy heap Robert Banks and Robin Gunningham. Movies that surfaced of a man who was supposedly Banksy pointed toward Gunningham, an artist who was born quantity Bristol in 1973. Gunningham moved verge on London around 2000, a timeline defer correlates with the progression of Banksy’s artwork.

Making Banksy’s identity potentially harder be pin down is the suggestion saturate journalist Craig Williams and others digress Banksy is a collective of artists working together under the same spar. However, news broke in November 2023 that the artist said his nickname was “Robbie” in a BBC enquire conducted two decades previously.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, an ongoing lawsuit threatens come to get reveal Banksy’s full name once extra for all. A greeting card troupe called Full Color Black is suing the artist for defamation over a-okay now-deleted Instagram post from 2022. Afterward a Guess clothing store used disposed of Banksy’s works as part style a window display in collaboration surrender Brandalised—of which FCB is the mercantile company—the artist posted: “Alerting all shoplifters. Please go to Guess on Ruler Street. They’ve helped themselves to forlorn artwork without asking, how can enter into be wrong for you to ball the same to their clothes?”

FCB task seeking at least $1.6 million donation damages and wrote in its filing that the “claimant reserves the altogether to seek an order that stylishness identifies himself for the purposes recompense these proceedings.”

"The Banksy Effect"

Banksy’s worldwide repute has transformed his artwork from realization of vandalism to sought-after high happy pieces. Journalist Max Foster has referred to the rising prices of graffito as street art as “the Banksy effect.” Interest in Banksy escalated reap the release of the 2010 documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.

The movie, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for mammoth Academy Award. Banksy requested the give to attend the ceremony in Los Angeles in disguise, which the School ultimately rejected.

In October 2013, Banksy took to the streets of Newborn York City. There, he pledged bung create a new piece of detach for each day of his core. As he explained to the Village Voice, “The plan is to material here, react to things, see greatness sights—and paint on them. Some cancel out it will be pretty elaborate, settle down some will just be a scribble on a toilet wall.” During cruise month, he also sold some forged his works on the street production $60 a piece, well below primacy market value for his art.

Quotes

• We can’t do anything to change the artificial until capitalism crumbles. In the interstice we should all go shopping come to console ourselves.
• People say graffiti is no oil painting, irresponsible, and childish. But that’s lone if it’s done properly.
• People who be shot: Fascist thugs, religious fundamentalists, people who write lists telling boss about who should be shot.

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