How long has banksy been around

Paul Getty. Banksy took on the medium of film in Exit Through the Gift Shop , an antic, sideways documentary on the creation and marketing of street art. When the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles put on its comprehensive survey of street art and graffiti in , Banksy was well represented in the field of 50 artists.

He may well have reached the tipping point where his success makes it impossible for him to remain rooted in the subculture he emerged from. The riots in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol in spring offer a cautionary tale. The episode began after police raided protesters, who were opposed to the opening of a Tesco Metro supermarket and living as squatters in a nearby apartment.

The authorities later said that they took action after receiving information that the group was making petrol bombs. I mean how many cakes does Michael Moore get through? A number of his works exist only in memory, or photographs. This summer, during the London Games, he posted two images of Olympic-themed pieces online—a javelin thrower lobbing a missile, and a pole vaulter soaring over a barbed-wire fence.

Naturally, a Banksyan twist occurs: The locations of this street art remain undisclosed. Somewhere in London, a pair of new Banksys await discovery. Banksy melds street-fighting passion and pacifist ardor in his image of a protester whose Molotov cocktail morphs into a bouquet. Although lots of people have tried to guess who he is, his identity has still not been revealed. Banksy first got noticed for spray-painting trains and walls in his home city of Bristol during the early s.

Street art and graffiti can be considered criminal damage, so in the beginning it's thought the artist stayed anonymous to keep out of trouble. In the beginning his pieces were mainly in Bristol, but in the s his artworks started appearing all over the UK and other parts of the world. Banksy chose to use stencils to create his pieces, probably because it's a faster way to paint. He was influenced in his early days by a French graffiti artist called Blek le Rat.

Blek le Rat is considered to be the father of stencil graffiti and people sometimes confuse the work of the two artists.

Banksy doesn't only do street art, he's produced drawings, paintings and installation pieces. He even created his own theme park called Dismaland. Banksy's work is known for delivering political messages. In December , he raised the issue of homelessness with a mural showing two reindeer that appear to be pulling a sleigh.

A piece in Port Talbot he made a piece showing a boy catching what appears to be snowflakes but is in fact ash from a fire.

This is thought to be about the problem of pollution. Banksy's work is very valuable and can go for thousands of pounds. Lots of people who love what he does, and are willing to pay a lot for his work.

This was because of the artwork that it had on the side. Banksy has often made clear that he doesn't like his work selling for so much money.

Very little is known about Banksy himself, as he refuses to be interviewed and carefully maintains his anonymity. Street art fanatics are consistently impressed by the far-reaching scope, variety, and bravery of every artwork he delivers, but are always left wanting more. This tactic encourages viewers to explore a completely new perspective or idea, often inspiring both amateur and professional artists. Most recently, many sources, including an entire newspaper publication, suggested he was a Bristol native by the name of Robin Gunninham.

His identity has reputedly even been concealed from his family. Banksy artwork. Only eight pieces of art were sold.

In the summer of , Banksy opened the dystopian theme park Dismaland in the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare. Prepared entirely in secret, the project unveiled 10 new works by Banksy as well as works from 58 other artists.

With nine rooms designed by Banksy himself, guests could literally sleep inside a work of art. Originally intended as a temporary and provocative piece of installation art, the Walled Off Hotel rapidly became a top tourist attraction. As mentioned above, Del Naja is already a graffiti artist and spent many years working in Bristol under the name of 3D, who Banksy cites as one of his earliest inspirations. I think he has flipped the world of art over. The Del Naja theory was strengthened after fans were able to link two occasions where new Banksy works had appeared in the same city where Massive Attack were playing.

However, unlike Gunningham, Del Naja has publicly denied the claims. Other rumours over the years have claimed Gorillaz founder Jamie Hewlett is the man behind the artwork, after an anonymous forensic expert claimed paperwork reportedly showed him to be linked to every company Banksy is connected with.

There have been many "sightings" of Banksy over the years, most recently he was spotted donning PPE while installing his latest work on the London Underground.

Back in , a passerby also claimed to spot him close to a recently installed work in the city of Hull. However, these sightings have not been enough to clearly make out his face. It is also unclear whether Banksy installs all his works himself, or uses a team to help. While his anonymity of course adds an element of intrigue to his work, ultimately, it acts as a layer of protection for the artist, as in many places his work is classified as criminal damage.

Also, given his status, it is likely his work would offer less impact if he was to garner a crowd as it was being installed. A version of this article first appeared online on July 15, Who is Banksy?