Banksy is the most mysterious and scandalous master of graffiti. All photos of paintings, street works and installations of Banksy on one page

“Is Banksy a genius or a vandal? You decide! " - it was under this slogan that an exhibition was held in Moscow, presenting the works of a British street art artist. Our Moscow columnist Alena Lias shares her impressions of the visit.

What do you need to know about the personality of an artist? First, it is anonymous. Initially, this is due to the fact that graffiti was considered vandalism. However, today it is already part of Banksy's PR campaign. The mystery of the artist's personality certainly draws additional attention to his work. On the Internet, you can find a lot of information about Banksy or even a group of artists working under this pseudonym, but its reliability is questionable.

Not everyone will see real art in Bensky's work, but his works have been sold for a long time and dearly, they are collected. Of course, the "Banksy phenomenon" is the result of competent marketing, nevertheless, his works reflect the spirit of the times.

The artist's works often have political and social connotations. Banksy sometimes rudely ridicules the vices of our time, protesting against the dogmas and the way of modern society. His works make one think about the problems of our world.

In his book Bashing Your Head on a Brick Wall, the artist writes: “Graffiti is one of the few means of expression if you have nothing. And even if you don't write something that will cure the world of poverty, you can make someone smile while they urinate ... "

Banksy graffiti often depicts the rat as a symbol of the underground and underground struggle for independence. It was the rats who managed to survive, despite all human attempts to destroy them. They also personify the gray and disgusting that is in human society.

An interesting fact - Banksy's paintings hung in the Louvre, New York Metropolitan Museum, London Tate and even in the Natural History Museum next to a dinosaur skeleton. This is all the artist's original plan. In 2004, Banksy, dressed in a spy cloak, went to the Louvre and hung a picture of Mona Lisa, who has a smiley face instead of a face, next to the real exhibits. He did the same in other museums. These were paintings-parodies of classical and modern art: a ceremonial portrait of a lady in a gas mask, a can of discounted tomato soup (was hung next to Warhol's Campbells). The artist's deceptions fit so well into the museum environment that the caretakers did not immediately discover the catch. For example, one painting hung in the museum for 8 days. And the London Museum of Natural History even decided to keep the artist's parody of primitive art.

Banksy began his career in the 1990s. In 2007, celebrities began to buy up his works (Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Kate Moss, Jude Law). So Banksy turned from a bully into the main artist of our time. During this time, quite a lot of works have been created. I will tell you about the brightest.

Girl with a ball

One of Banksy's most significant and recognizable works. This work, according to polls, has become a favorite artistic image among the British. Everyone interprets the meaning of the image in their own way: someone sees loss in a flying ball, someone - liberation.

Graffiti appeared on the bridge over the Thames in 2002. This girl is a symbol of innocence and tenderness, she evokes a desire to protect and cherish her. A little later, an unknown person attributed the words to the image: "There is always hope ...". It is a reaction to art that resonates in our souls.

Banksy later repeated this work in several other places, and also began to make prints for sale. And in 2014, an action was launched under the hashtag #WithSyria, in which this very work was used as a symbol of protest against the war in Syria.

Steve Jobs

The artist placed the graffiti depicting Steve Jobs on a wall in the French city of Calais, which houses a refugee camp. It is from this city that many migrants try to get to the UK.

On his website, the artist signed the graffiti "Son of a Migrant from Syria."

Through his work, Banksy spoke out about the current migrant crisis in Europe. Steve Jobs is the son of a Syrian migrant who moved to the United States after World War II.

“We are often led to believe that migration is depleting a country's resources. But Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant! Apple is the most profitable company in the world, it pays more than $ 7 billion a year in taxes, and it exists only because a young man from Homs was once allowed into the country, ”and This is how Banksy commented on this graffiti.

Mona Lisa with a bazooka

The first version of the graffiti in Soho was painted over within days of its appearance.

Mona Lisa is the ideal of femininity and serenity. Perhaps the artist wanted to emphasize the dissonance between the gentle smile of the Mona Lisa and the powerful weapon of destruction ... But there is another interpretation: the calmness of Mona Lisa reflects the satiety of a prosperous society with news about wars taking place somewhere far away ...

Which one will you choose? You decide…

Love is in the air

"Love in the Air" is a graffiti in which a participant in a street protest is going to throw flowers instead of a Molotov cocktail. One 2017 poll found it to be one of Banksy's most recognizable pieces.

The first such work was done by an artist in 2003 in Palestine.

Banksy wanted to show that any issues should be resolved peacefully. Otherwise, one violence generates another. Or maybe the artist wanted to say with this graffiti that protesting against capitalist or military regimes is as useless as throwing flowers during riots?

Smiling cop

The artist is not very fond of policemen, to put it mildly. Since graffiti is considered vandalism, Banksy was targeted. Therefore, the artist has a whole series of works that ridicule the police officers.

One of these graffiti is "Smiling Cop", or rather, a policeman with a smile instead of a face. Banksy made this work big enough for the viewer to see the policeman in full growth. The face of a cop in a graffiti artist has never been so friendly. Banksy suggests treating this work as a kind of utopia. The question is, what's behind that smile, what's really on his mind?

If graffiti could change anything

If graffiti could change anything, it would be illegal! With this piece, Banksy paid tribute to anarchist and women's rights activist Amy Goldman, who said, "If voting could change anything, it would be illegal."

The graffiti was created in 2011 on Oxford Street, London. Under the inscription is Banksy's black and white rat, a kind of symbol of his work.

Kate moss

This work is a kind of response to the madness of the art market, as well as a tribute to Andy Warhol, who at one time managed to show the consumer essence of the art market. Today, as in Warhol's time, brand is more important than true craftsmanship.

At the time of this print, Kate Moss was at the peak of her popularity. The artist decided to choose it and he was right. The works were immediately bought up.

An interesting case is connected with this work. In 2011, Banksy made a unique version of this print. While Kate was on her honeymoon, the artist entered her house and planted the work there. How he managed it is still a mystery.

Flying buyer

Banksy has a series of artworks depicting supermarket carts. The artist makes fun of the consumer essence of modern man. In the "Flying Customer" graffiti, a woman is holding on to the cart so tightly that she is ready to crash with it, but not let go.

The work appeared on an abandoned London building in 2011. This place immediately became popular. However, the building has been empty for a long time, and they are going to demolish it. It is symbolic, you see, graffiti is so short-lived.

Mobile lovers

In 2014, the “Mobile Lovers” graffiti appeared on the door of a youth center that works with youth in Bristol. The theme of the work is social networks, into which people are immersed with their heads and sometimes cannot be distracted even during a date.

Interesting fact: this piece saved the youth center from bankruptcy. The staff removed the door and charged a fee for the opportunity to view the work of the famous artist. Banksy didn't mind. However, the city authorities intervened. They took the work and put it on display at the Briston Museum. Then Banksy intervened. It all ended with the fact that the work was sold at auction, and all the proceeds went to save the youth center.

Angel and Pulp Fiction

One touching story from the life and work of Banksy is connected with these works. In 2007, in London, workers painted over one of the artist's famous works, Pulp Fiction. Then Banksy wrote a new interpretation of this scene in the same place. Now the heroes of the famous film were holding real pistols, and they themselves were dressed in banana costumes.

Literally a few days later, the new work was painted over. But this time not by workers, but by a young graffiti artist under the pseudonym Ozone. At the bottom he left a signature: "If the work is better next time, I will leave it." However, the young artist did not have time to evaluate the new work, he died under the wheels of a train, trying to paint another graffiti on the London Underground.

Banksy did not remain indifferent to the death of Ozone. And in place of "Pulp Fiction" appeared one of his best graffiti - an angel in a bulletproof vest with a skull in his hands.

“When we lost Ozone, we lost a fearless graffiti artist and, as it turns out, a pretty shrewd art critic,” Banksy wrote on his website after the tragedy.

The exhibition dedicated to Banksy's work has ended in Moscow and will be held in St. Petersburg until the end of autumn. Not without scandals. In his account, Banksy posted a correspondence with a friend, who told him about his solo exhibition in Moscow. That is, it turns out that the artist was not aware of the largest exhibition of his works. This situation certainly added excitement. Social networks were full of indignant comments, the organizers made excuses that everything was legal, since the exhibits were presented by private collectors. We are unlikely to know for sure whether it was a PR move or not. Here everyone will decide for himself ...

By the way, Minsk also keeps up with the Russian capitals. The DK Gallery is open for classic and contemporary art and will run until mid-October with an exhibition based on Banksy's work. Therefore, Minskers also have the opportunity to touch street art without leaving Minsk.

Text Alena LIAS.

Probably the most popular and at the same time the most mysterious street artist in the world. He became famous all over the world for his unique "guerrilla" style of stencil graffiti, which appeared in a wide variety of public places - on the walls of buildings in London, Brighton, Bristol and even on the West Bank barrier separating Israel and Palestine. But despite his worldwide fame, Banksy was still able to keep a veil of secrecy and anonymity around him. There is a lot of controversy around his biography and real name. According to the most common versions, his real name is Robert or Robin Banks.

Despite the fact that Banksy's shocking work can rather be attributed to the “counterculture” genre, his works are exhibited in the most fashionable and prestigious galleries in the world. There are many famous collectors of his work, including Brad Peet, Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera. It is very difficult to find at least some information about this person, so the captions for some photos may not be entirely "from the author."

1. Banksy Truck. (Banksy)

2. "Picnic"

At an exhibition of this graffiti artist, which took place in Los Angeles in 2006, Angelina Jolie bought three works of the artist for 400 thousand dollars. Jolie's acquisitions included the $ 226,000 painting Picnic, pictured in this photo. (Banksy)

3. "Laugh, but one day we'll be in charge" (Banksy)

4. "Bad Artists Imitate, Great Artists Steal" (Banksy)

5. "Escape" (Banksy)

6. "Maid" (Banksy)

7. "Helicopters with Pink Bows" (Banksy)

8. "Flower Thrower" (Banksy)

9. "Carts Attack" (Banksy)

10. "Humidification"

Caption: "I learned a valuable lesson from this woman: you need to moisturize your skin every day." (Banksy)

11. "The man who removes graffiti from the wall."

This drawing appeared in May 2008 on Leek Street in London. By August 2008, this graffiti was painted over. Pay attention - the images of animals resemble the rock paintings of primitive people in the Lascaux cave in France or in the Spanish Altamira. (Banksy)

12. "Nude"

This drawing is located on the façade of the Park Street Clinic in Bristol, where patients are being treated for sexual dysfunctions. After numerous petitions from the public, Bristol City Council decided not to paint over the graffiti. (Banksy)

13. "Death"

Stensils at the waterline of the Tekla amusement boat in downtown Bristol. Death Image is based on a famous 19th century engraving depicting the plague during the Great Stench. (Banksy)

14. "One nation under CCTV" or "Big Brother is watching you"

Graffiti in the heart of London. For a long time, a group of people bombarded the Royal Mail with letters asking that one of the walls should be rebuilt. After repeated requests, it was decided to install scaffolding to find out what the problem was. Six days later, when the scaffolding was cleared, this graffiti was adorned on the facade. Visible from afar, the graffiti attracted the eyes of many people who did not even realize that it was the work of Banksy. In March 2009, local authorities ordered to cover it up, despite desperate public outcry. CCTV is a security camera, and the phrase "One nation under ..." itself is a reference to the famous phrase "One nation under God" - a fragment of the oath of allegiance to the American flag .. (Banksy / ogglog)

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the personality of this mysterious artist. No one has yet been able to reveal his identity. Some claim that his real name is Robin Cunningham. Others believe that this is a musician from the Massive Attack group - Robert Del Naya. Both theories are confirmed by the opinions of scientists at Queen Mary University of London, as well as an interview with the famous DJ Goldie, who accidentally made a reservation, thereby revealing the artist's identity. Whether this is actually so or not is still unknown. And what can change the name of the author if his works have already become immortal? Banksy - who is he? Vandal or genius artist?

Banksy's personality

The identity of this artist was never revealed. It is believed that he was born in 1974. Originally from England, the city of Bristol. He began his career in the late 1990s. The first graffiti by the famous artist Banksy date back to these years. At the dawn of his career, he was an ordinary writer, but then his work became more and more extensive. That, in fact, influenced the complexity of hiding from the police. History knows many cases of attempts to expose Banksy's identity, but they all ended in complete failure. His exact identity is still unknown.

Creative way

Graffiti artist Banksy is rumored to have started his career in the late 1990s. At that time he was doing his usual activities as a writer and did not have wide popularity. In order not to be caught and to hide from the police, Banksy began to use stencils, because his work became larger. The most famous street artist did not immediately decide on his own style. This can be seen on the example of his work - the first copies were written by hand and had sloppy outlines, as if the drawing was applied in a hurry (which is true).

Street artist Banksy's work has now been listed as protected. Many works by street art artist Banksy have become the property of Great Britain. Throughout its existence, the Banksy artist has become recognizable all over the world, now his exhibitions are presented in various parts of the world.

Banksy style

Street artist Banksy's work can hardly be attributed to any particular style. Banksy's style is a classic incarnation of the "rebellious" public - it touches on hot topics to which people try to turn a blind eye. As for the manner of performance, it is difficult to say unequivocally which style he adheres to. Initially, Banksy's work looked like classic street art: with inscriptions that convey a message and simple drawings. Later, street art artist Banksy began to use stencils, which allowed him to apply more complex drawings in a short time. Now, the main style of the unknown graffiti artist is stencil technique.

Rats are one of the artist's favorite characters. In his opinion, they symbolize the triumph of disadvantaged people.

I drew rats for three whole years, and then someone told me: what a talented anagram of the word "art" is. And I had to pretend that I knew about it my whole life.

Notable works of the artist

The biography of the artist Banksy is full of controversial issues, as well as his work. His most famous works include “Kissing Constables”, graffiti on the wall of a sexual problems clinic in the city of Bristol, an image of Charles Manson, the inscription “One nation under video surveillance”, “No future” with a picture of a little girl, and many others. The anonymous author never signs his work, no one has ever seen the artist's face. The identity of the author has not yet been revealed, most of his street art works are not signed, which complicates the identification process.

"There is no future"

Rebel with a bouquet of flowers, 2003

"Hope is Always Alive", 2002

Les Miserables, 2016

Work in honor of the UK exit from the EU, 2017

Horseman, 2018

"See It Under The Rug", 2006

Work in honor of Keith Harring

"Pulp Fiction", 2002

"Mobile lovers"

"Simple Intelligence Testing"

Work on the problem of consumerism in the modern world, 2004

Work on the problem of racism in France, 2018

"Follow Your Dream", 2010

"Steve Jobs" (work on the problem of migration)

"I don't believe in global warming"

Girl with a bomb, 2003

Phone booth

Photos of his best works can be easily found on the net. The artist regularly exhibits in all galleries in the world. His works carry a heavy meaning and, at the same time, a hint of optimism. Without thinking about the negative aspects of life, a person misses the most important thing - the desire to develop. Banksy makes you think about the difficulties, makes you want to fight them.

In 2011, a lot was posted on eBay that contained a piece of paper that allegedly contained Banksy's real name. The seller was an eBay user named “Jaybuysthings”. In his lot, he wrote that this is the most likely version of Banksy's real name, that it was checked against sales records in tax records. On the piece of paper was written only the name, which the author of the lot undertook not to share with anyone else. The original cost of the piece of paper was $ 3,000. after 38 bets, the cost of the Lot increased to $ 999,999. Nevertheless, the lot was removed for an unknown reason, and the sale never took place.

Until now, no one knows what Banksy looks like. There are many assumptions about his identity, but no one knows who Banksy really is. Perhaps in the future, the secret of his identity will be revealed. However, all that remains for us today is to observe his work without being tied to a real person.

All that is known about Banksy is that he was born in Bristol around 1974, that his name may or may not be Robert Banks. That what he does is illegal and at least falls under the articles of "vandalism" and "hooliganism", because he hides his face and does not rush to bathe in the rays of glory, and communicates with curators of exhibitions and journalists exclusively through an agent. Moreover, his works are sold at fabulous prices for a "bully". On the eve of the next auction, which will sell his graffiti "Girl with a Flower" (estimate, by the way, 150 thousand dollars), the editorial staff of the Weekend project compiled a guide to the most significant works of Banksy, which can explain why an adult man runs at night on roofs with a stencil and spray paint.

Pulp Fiction (2002)

This image, which appeared in 2002 near the Old Street station in London, repeated a scene from Quentin Tarantino's film with cinematic accuracy, except for one detail: the heroes of Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta were holding bananas instead of pistols.

In April 2007, the London Transport Service painted over the graffiti due to the "excessive cruelty of the scene depicted and the corrupting influence on society." At that time, the estimated value of the work reached 300 thousand pounds. The company's press service explained the actions of the employees succinctly: "Our staff consists of professional cleaners, not professional art critics."

The stencil is still popular: at the end of 2011, the Australian hotel chain announced a promotion: as part of the Steal Banksy game, a Banksy work appeared in one of the chain's hotels, and any guest could take it away, and if the "theft" was not noticed by the guards , then the "criminal" could keep the illustration for himself. Two works took part in the action: No Ball Games and Pulp Fiction. As a result, the tenants managed to take out only the first work worth 15 thousand dollars, while the network owners sent the second to the crime fighting organization Crime Stoppers Australia, and they put it up for auction. In the hotels, for a long time after that, there was an announcement that the action was over and there was nothing more to "steal".

Kissing Policemen (2004)

Graffiti in Brighton, London, next to Trafalgar Street, became a kind of attraction: any tourist considered it his duty to include a wall next to Prince Albert Pub in his itinerary. But just a year after its creation, the image was transported to New York and auctioned off.

Banksy's work inspired the Russian art group Blue Noses to create the scandalous Era of Mercy photography (2004). Three years later, the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Alexander Sokolov, named the exhibition of the Tretyakov Gallery in Paris (2007), at which it was planned to present this work, and then completely accused the management of the Tretyakov Gallery of deliberate provocation. Sokolov promised to do everything to prevent the photo from being reviewed. Photography did not participate in the exposition "Sots Art. Political Art in Russia", but it ended up at the FIAC international art fair held in Paris at the same time.

£ 10 with Princess Diana (2004)

In 2004, Banksy produced a batch of 10-pound bills, where the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was replaced by the portrait of the deceased Lady Dee, and the inscription "Bank of England" was changed to "Banksy of England". It is difficult to say whether the joke was a success: several banknotes were handed out at the Notting Hill Carnival festival, the bills began to diverge, and almost no one noticed the difference until the artist himself realized that he had involuntarily become a counterfeiter:

"I printed a million pounds, I just wanted to throw it off the roof, but I handed out a few at the festival, and they went and spent it. You know," I have two beers, "they were given a beer. Nobody noticed! And when it happened, we realized: we faked a million! And for that you can thunder out for ten years. And now they are with me and I don't know what to do with them, "he tells his friend in the documentary" Exit through the souvenir shop ".

In October 2007, an uncut sheet of ten such bills went under the hammer at Bonhams for £ 24,000.

Napalm (2004)

The graffiti depicts symbols of American culture, Ronald McDonald and Mickey Mouse, holding a crying naked girl by the hand. Image of her from a Napalm image taken on June 8, 1972 by Associated Press photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner Nick Ut during the Vietnam War. A 9-year-old girl with her brother and other children flees her home in the Tran Ban area after a heavy bombing raid. Children run along the road leading from Saigon towards the border with Cambodia, where there was also a civil war and territories were constantly attacked by the US Air Force.

There is no need to comment on this work by Banksy. By coincidence, it is this print that castigates the consumer society that is most popular in America, and is replicated on T-shirts, mugs and other souvenirs.

Graffiti in Palestine (2005)

In the summer of 2005, Banksy went to Palestine. Despite UN protests, a multi-meter concrete barrier was erected on the west bank of the Jordan River between Palestine and Israel. The artist used the wall as a 425-mile canvas to express his reaction to the events of the time. Every morning on his website, he published another drawing from the wall with a caustic signature: "Festive snapshot." Children, as the main victims of the military conflict, most often became the characters of graffiti, and the wall was necessarily destroyed according to the plot of the illustration.

Banksy later explained the message on his website:

"The Israeli government is building a wall around the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It is three times the height of the Berlin Wall, and eventually reaches 700 km - the distance from London to Zurich. The wall violates international law and, in fact, makes Palestine the largest open prison in the world. "

Crumpled Phone Booth (2006)

The sculpture stood in London Soho for only one night - and during that night it managed to provoke a heated discussion. The townspeople were divided into two camps: the first saw high modern art in a telephone booth "killed" by an ice ax, the second - a mockery of the main symbol of London. British Telecommunications interpreted the work as a reaction to the announcement of the rebranding and the intention to move away from the classic payphone image.

"Someone is very annoyed by our telephone booths!" - comments a lady passing by in the documentary "Exit through the souvenir shop".

There is a version that this is the artist's own mourning for the outgoing culture of live communication in the era of the development of the Internet and social networks.

Naked Man Hanging from Window (2006)

The graffiti was painted on the wall of a venereal disease clinic on Park Street in downtown Bristol. The plot of the illustration is eternal: an absolutely naked lover hangs from the windowsill, and a jealous husband looks out the other side, behind him is a wife in underwear. And as soon as the man in the suit turns his head the other way, the couple will be caught in an awkward situation.

The city council decided to keep the drawing and even paid for its restoration after vandals shot it with a paintball gun. From that time on, the authorities began to treat graffiti as an art (albeit still prohibited), and it is considered vandalism to paint over the works of street artists. Even so, Banksy still remains incognito - he broke the law too many times.

Guantanamo Bay Prisoner at American Disneyland (2006)

On the eve of another September 11th anniversary, when Banksy was preparing for an exhibition in Los Angeles, he came up with the idea to make an installation on the theme of terrorism suspects sitting in Guantanamo. At Disneyland, he set up a mannequin, dressed in a prisoner's uniform, next to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction. The doll stood there for an hour and a half until it was noticed. The management stopped the attraction, began to close the park in parts, "it suddenly turned out that it was very, very serious." The artist's goal was to draw attention to the situation of prisoners at the American base of Guantanamo after cases of torture of prisoners became known.

Naturally, it is technically impossible to act alone by Banksy, there is, albeit a very narrow circle of people who know him and whom he can unconditionally trust. That day at Disneyland added another to this list - Frenchman Thierry Guetta. The future Mr Brainwash, who was filming the entire process, was detained next to Banksy's installation and was interrogated for four hours.

"When Thierry stood in front of the entire Mickey Mouse security service, did not flinch, did not give up, he hid the tape in his sock - after that I trusted him in everything. He was my man."

Film "Exit through the Gift Shop" / Exit through the Gift Shop (2010)

Initially, the picture was shot not at all by Banksy, but by the very Thierry Guetta. He was obsessed with filming and constantly insisted that he was making documentaries about street art. He was also the first (and probably the last) person with a camera that Banksy allowed into the workflow:

"Thierry became a kind of outlet for me: I hid everything for so many years that it was time to trust someone."

The film did not really work out, Banksy took up editing on his own, and instead of a picture about a partisan artist from Bristol, there was a story about how Mr. Brainwash was born. In fact, Brainfighter is also a kind of brainchild of Banksy, because it was Banksy who encouraged Thierry Guetta to pursue art, showed how to work with stencils, and recommended his first exhibition.

But the art of graffiti has grown, has matured and received a new name street art. He is exhibited in museums and fashion galleries, and people are willing to pay big money for these works. At the auctions of contemporary art, street art is breaking value records, virtually uniting high and low art, separated from each other for centuries.This primarily concerns Banksy (and the iconic Jean-Michel Basquiat).

Banksy is an artist who is rapidly growing into legends, the interest in him is enormous, and any work he does instantly becomes famous. His talent is recognized by everyone and no one is left indifferent by his sharp, socially oriented works. This is a fantastic artist! Christy andSotheby'shappy to arrange auctions where his work is present. The popularity of Banksy is so great that works are sold at a price 3-5 times higher than the starting price, which is very high. I suggest you look at the TOP 15 most expensive works by Banksy in recent years.

First job. What did Banksy do? He takes a canvas with a painting by an unknown artist, and puts his stencil on him. The painting "Bird with a Pomegranate", a starting estimate of £ 50,000, went for £ 145,250 ($ 228,043).

Title: Keep It Spotlessly Clean (Defaced Hirst)
Signed and dated 2007. Pharmaceutical work by Damien Hirst. Painting, which Banksy made his changes.
Sotheby's (RED) New York auction
Estimate: 250,000 - 350,000 USD Sold for: 1,870,000 USD