Whether a picture painted on a wall, or another high value picture on canvas, Banksy is often in the news, making him a renowned and popular graffiti artist.
Banksy originated from the Bristol Underground Scene. Some of his art has been preserved by the local council, particularly in and around his home town of Bristol.
Unfortunately some Banksy art has been painted over too. On the Apr 29 2010 some cleaners unknowingly painted over some of his art in Melbourne, a stencil of a rat in an alley. Another piece was removed from a wall in Bristol City in 2009.
Bristol City council have now decided to allow the public to vote before graffiti art murals are painted over.
Banksy’s art has become highly collectable during the past decade. He has featured in many an exhibition, such as the recent Banksy vs Bristol museum which was very popular.
He also released an art documentary about street art in 2010: Exit Through The Gift Shop.
The film does not feature his art but offers an interesting insight into the grafitti scene.
His fine examples of street art, now fetch a hefty price tag around the world, having a high value amongst graffiti and street art collectors and street artists that appreciate graffiti.
Banksy art can be purchased at specialist art shops and online graffiti websites, where many enjoy trading in Banksy prints. There are shirts, posters, stencils and signed original canvas pieces available.
Banksy’s stencil graffiti became popular after appearing on walls, underground passes and bridges, particularly in Bristol and London since the late eighties. However he still remains anonymous and people are still asking who is Banksy?
Banksy stencils have a political edge with a D.I.Y ethos that has inspired many young graffiti artists and street artists, around the world, whether it be through a stencil on a wall, a graffiti book of photos, an exhibition, gallery auction or street artwork.
Some Bansky art stencil pieces that are very popular include the following:
The ‘Banksy Monkey Detonator’ – Monkeys feature a lot in his work, other popular monkey images include the ‘Laugh now..’ image and the ‘Monkey banana blast’ piece.
The ‘Banksy Fallen Angel’ – This piece depicts a person who has ‘fallen from grace’. It has provoked backlash from some religious people due to the angel holding a cigarette and an alcoholic beverage.
The ‘Banksy Ozone Angel’ is a moving piece that he created as a tribute to a friend and fellow street artist named Ozone who was killed by an underground train in Barking, London. The angel angel holds a human skull in his hand and wears a bulletproof vest.
His art make people ponder and think over it’s subject as it is always intelligent and provocative. However people come into contact with his work, whether it be through a Graffiti Website like this, an exhibition or a painting on a wall, they are captivated.
This is why there has recently been a fair amount of local and international media attention and information offered about his art.
A recent documentary for Channel 4, called Graffiti Wars, gave some interesting insights into the tensions that can arise between different street artists. It questions why some graffiti art is considered ‘art’ and other work is viewed as vandalism.
Graffiti that is deemed vandalism by the local council is cleaned off and painted over, whereas the street art which is considered ‘art’ gets protected with perspex. Some people feel it is unfair that often Banksy’s art gets special treatment.