Banksy

Over the last two decades, Banksy has transformed graffiti culture, with his satirical street art and subversive epigrams. Rendered in a limited range of striking colours, Banksy uses stencils, spray painting and freehand painting to create his own unique style. His anonymity and true identity remains unknown, enabling him to make bold socio-political commentary on current affairs. To this day, Banksy’s identity remains unknown. 

Banksy grew out of the Bristol underground scene and rose to prominence with a series of provocative images, that appeared suddenly in public spaces during the early 1990s. By 1999, Banksy made a distinctive move to London, which garnered him international recognition, thus, transforming his creations from discreditable acts of vandalism to highly desirable works of art. Modern appreciation and value for street art emerged with and through Banksy, a phenomena which has been termed ‘The Banksy Effect’. 

One of the artist’s most recent stunts was the Shredding of his ‘Girl with the Balloon’ in the 2018 auction at Sotheby’s. On the closing bid, the artwork deconstructed via a mechanical paper shredder, hidden within the bottom of the frame. The winning bidder continued with the sale, purchasing the piece for £1,042,000; a record high for the artist. Since the partial shredding, the work has been afforded a new identity - ‘Love Is In The Bin’ - and was sold on again at Sotheby’s for £16 million. Sotheby’s since released a statement, calling it the ‘first artwork in history ever to be created live at auction’. 

Banksy's distinctive outspoken creations vary, from painting the bodies of live pigs to sneaking rats inside the Tate Gallery (2003), thus challenging the way in which art is formed and perceived and in turn, poses the question as to what constitutes the meaning of art.