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Banksy

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Field guide

Learning To Love Banksy

GOD, we've heard so much about Banksy this week. Yes, you know he's the supersecret anonymous world-famous street artist whose identity may have been revealed at last. But some people do not understand why this is the biggest art story of our generation. At least if you love democracy, freedom, and hilarity! Come along then, as we take a brief whirl through the world of Banksy: An artist that does not suck. With two dozen pictures, yo! More »

11:35 AM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
6,961 views, 76 comments

Latest by mcas: THE FACEBOOK IS A HOAX..... The photos are from the school, but are the wrong years and list people other than Robert Gunningham in them on THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE SCHOOL: [www.cathedralians.com] (originally pointed out in Gawker comments: [gawker.com] ) more »

Exclusive

Another Alleged Photo Of Banksy Surfaces

For years, there has only been one known photograph of the supersecret celebrity street artist Banksy, whose identity was (probably) outed this week. That one was taken in Jamaica in 2004 by a photographer who, we hear, leaked it to the media after getting angry at the artist. That was the picture that the Daily Mail used as the key clue in its yearlong investigation of his true identity. But we've just been leaked another photo that supposedly shows Banksy in 1999. More »

3:46 PM on Tue Jul 15 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
9,012 views, 40 comments

Latest by n/a: If this in indeed Banksy, I find his looks appealing in a Peter Sellers kind of way.. I am even more intrigued. more »

investigations

Evidence: Banksy's Facebook Page

I got some good news on the Facebook front last night: I am now friends with one Robin Gunningham of Bristol, UK—also known as Banksy, the formerly undercover world-famous street artist who was outed as Gunningham yesterday. (Or was he? No official confirmation yet, although the case is strong). Gunningham's Facebook page sports the same schoolboy picture that appeared in the Daily Mail's investigative story. And it has further evidence that he is, in fact, Banksy—unless the whole thing is part of a clever hoax, or the product of a third party with ulterior motives. Words and photos straight from the guy who might be a legend, after the jump: More »

10:54 AM on Tue Jul 15 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
8,876 views, 39 comments

Latest by n/a: Hoax - I went to this school and the photos on the facebook site are from years when Robin Gunningham (well the one I knew) wasn't even at the school. The rugby tour photo is from 1982 and the other photos more »

evidence

Banksy's Incriminating Facebook Friends

As a commenter points out, Robin Gunningham, the man the Daily Mail says is in fact supersecret street artist Banksy, has a Facebook page! And among his friends: Peter Dean Rickards—the photographer who took the only known picture of Banksy, in Jamaica. Well that's not how you leave no clues about your identity, dude. [More about Rickards and the famous photo at Animal NY]

10:38 AM on Mon Jul 14 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
2,300 views, 19 comments

Latest by Botswana Meat Commission FC: @gecko: I dunno. I sorta disagree regarding his anonymity. It's pretty hard to do these types of murals in public places when there are paparazzi and journalists and fans hounding you in the streets. There's an element of surprise that more »

mysteries

Banksy Revealed?! (Not By Us)

Could this be the end of the anonymous life of Banksy—British street artist -to-the-stars, darling of the underground and Angelina Jolie, and the most famous unidentified figure since Batman? We took a shot at solving the mystery ourselves a couple of months ago; but now the Daily Mail has done their own investigation, and we must say: it looks like they have him nailed. All the evidence is below—decide for yourself: More »

10:05 AM on Mon Jul 14 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
13,145 views, 34 comments

nick walker

Banksy Doppelganger Strikes Hipster Tea House

British stencil artist Nick Walker—whose name was recently floated by a leading website as a plausible answer to the question "Who is anonymous international superstar street artist Banksy, really?"—has been a busy man. Not only was he spotted painting a piece on the side of Thunder Jacksons in the West Village—which sparked all this Banksy speculation in the first place—he also did quite a nice giraffe-themed work on the side of Roebling Tea Room in Williamsburg. We're still trying to pin down the true nature of the Banksy-Walker connection, so if you happen to have spotted Walker at work, email us. After the jump, two larger pictures [via Williamsburg is Dead] of the towering ruminant. More »

5:12 PM on Mon May 12 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
4,635 views, 28 comments

Latest by n/a: @nowset - you do realize that Boundless and the Roebling Tea Room share that wall, right? That piece is actually right in the middle so yeah it IS on the Tea House wall. And it's on the Boundless more »

theories

Banksy Unmasked?

Banksy: millionaire street artist, fierce cultural critic, celebrity darling of the art world. The man's prestige has been immeasurably enhanced by his anonymity. He insists on it, and it gives him an air of mystery that only increases his allure to the media, fans, and collectors alike. An alleged photo of him was widely circulated last year, but it certainly didn't result in his real name being printed in his omnipresent media coverage. Those in his inner circle insist on strict concealment of his identity. Theories, of course, abound. But today, Bucky Turco at Animal NY believes he's stumbled upon Banksy's true identity. Combined with some corroborating evidence we got ourselves, the case is plausible—though far from proven. Now this would be big news: More »

2:59 PM on Fri May 9 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
16,641 views, 75 comments

Latest by lucidether: I was walking down Stanton and encountered a homeless man. "Aren't you the Fisher King"? I asked. "Why yes" he replied. and all this time I thought Jeff Bridges was the Fisher King. more »

art

New NYC Banksy Piece: Confirmed?

Animal NY street chronicler Bucky Turco took the bait of our sighting this morning of the elusive British stencil artist Banksy. Bucky traipsed over to Thunder Jacksons in the West Village and captured THE FIRST PICTURES of this new Banksy piece, which have just increased the value of the building 25-fold [UPDATE: Or have they? Gothamist says this work is by Nick Walker, not Banksy. We're investigating. More to come.]. Click through for some larger pics of the three-part work, and then go over to Animal NY to read some more clues that Bucky gleaned about the artist . Journalism in action: More »

12:16 PM on Fri May 9 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
5,050 views, 30 comments

Latest by n/a: I hate to be touchy-feely but I've come to appreciate some of Bansky's work through this site. I loved that shepherd poking the telephone booth more »

Banksy Sighting A tipster writes "I saw the elusive Banksy doing a stencil on the corner of Bleecker and Sullivan last night. Its on the side of Thunder Jacksons." Can anybody confirm this (and whether it is, in fact, from Banksy or just some random guy)? Send a pic to tips@gawker.com and win my appreciation! [Further description: "He looks like a guy you would see in the cheap seats at a soccer game...He did come in and have a couple beers at Thunder Jackson's afterwards but he doesn't like to chat."]

8 comments

nooooooooooo!

$100,000 Whitewash: Store Owner Paints Over Banksy Art

No matter how you feel about the British stencil artist Banksy, you have to admit one thing: his stuff sells for a lot of money. His works have been going for over half a million dollars lately. A homeowner in the UK with a Banksy mural on the side of her house decided to simply sell the mural through an art gallery, and throw in the home for free. But one NYC store owner lucky enough to have a Banksy piece on his building (pictured) was either too ignorant, or too stubborn to take advantage of it. Yes: he painted over it. I hope he loved his momentarily whitewashed wall, because it cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars. The kind of funny, and kind of painful pictures [via SuperTouch] of the man in the revenue-destroying act, after the jump. Ouch. More »

3:36 PM on Thu May 1 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
6,142 views, 50 comments

Latest by Astrolabe: @Clittery_Hilton: jinx more »

things we actually like

Is The New Banksy Loose In The New York Subways?

Last week we showed you the supremely artistic "Darth Vader Meets Murakami" work of the anonymous vandal whose canvas is poster advertisements in the New York subways. But as impressed as we were by that, new photos—purportedly by the same vandal—have surfaced that, conceptually, make the earlier work look like a quickie plaything. This anonymous person has messages. All with only the ad posters themselves to work with. We're told these are all genuine, and not Photoshopped. Well, anonymous vandal: You are really fucking good. The six new photos [via And I Am Not Lying], after the jump. More »

11:58 AM on Wed Apr 30 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
7,552 views, 19 comments

Latest by raincoaster: These aren't anything like Banksy except in the fact they're graffiti of a sort. But they ARE truly, truly impressive. Great stuff. more »

evaluations

Banksy: An Artist That Does Not Suck

If you're going to be in the Hong Kong area next week, here's something for you to do: stop by the Fabrik Gallery and see the art exhibition from guerilla stencil artist Banksy. Why do I tell you this? Just to segue into this point: Banksy is good! So suck on that, all previously stated Gawker evaluations of the man and his work! Okay, we all have opinions. After the jump, a few examples of Banksy's art that you could buy at this show, if you were quite wealthy. Despite earlier protestations to the contrary, these do not suck. More »

2:18 PM on Thu Apr 17 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
6,343 views, 61 comments

Latest by n/a: Two or three years ago it was quite thrilling to be careening around London's nether parts and run into his brilliant stencil art on an obscure wall or billboard. Very anonymous and cool and, in the beginning, not commercially oriented more »

one of these things is not like the other

'Science' Embraces Hipster Artist, Confuses Scientists

Above: the February 15 cover of staid journal Science, showing the structure of the ion clouds around the NH3-HCl hydrogen bond; the February 29 cover, showing atoms trapped in a lattice of optical microtraps; and the March 7 cover, a photo of a spray-painted flower, the work of insufferable British graffitti art-prankster Banksy. A reader reports: "I got my mail today to see what is clearly a piece of Banksy art on the front of Science, and I exclaim to my roommates, 'what the fuck is Banksy doing on the cover?!' When my roommates starting asking 'What does his lab study?', I realized that I was going to have to bring this to the attention of someone else." Click to see the incongruous cover lineup in full.

3:04 PM on Wed Mar 12 2008
By Pareene
2,275 views, 24 comments

Latest by n/a: love him or hate him, there's not much worth reading about banksy unless it's for the personal amusement one can garner reading his loyal fans respond to those calling him a hack. his hand's more than heavy enough to prevent the more »

art

Diggbrow: How The Internet Redefined Art

"Art" is just another headline-filler word for "amazing." At least for children, who are the future, and geeks, who are the new trendsetter-influencer-coolhunters. Since K-12 art education is virtually dead, and no one reads books, these heavy Internet users have no preconceptions of art and they don't follow that world's big names. A new Cy Twombly or Lucien Freud painting won't get attention on Digg (Chris Ofili maybe, for the controversy), but a painted Lamborghini is one of the social news site's all-time favorite "art" posts. But it's not all bad. The Diggbrow movement isn't destroying art any more than the Dadaists or post-modernists did; it's reinventing it. More »

6:37 PM on Tue Feb 5 2008
By Nick Douglas
2,647 views, 18 comments

Latest by zukalous: Steampunk seems to fall under this "wow-art" movement that is so popular with digg/neatorama/boingboing. It seems to be nothing more than cos-play but is consistently listed as art. more »

art and commerce

Idiot Artist Banksy Comes To New York

Banksy, the Bristol-born graffiti artist, has a show opening December 2nd at the Vanina Holasek Gallery in Chelsea. If you've been to Angelina Jolie's rumpus room recently you might have seen his work hanging on her wall (she bought one of his paintings at his LA show) or you might have bought one of his books at Urban Outfitters. Either way, you must have been struck by all the issues he raises in his work like...um...um....who the fuck pays £200,000 for spraypaint-and-slogan sophomoric crap? (To be fair, it did feature a white family having a picnic and African orphans, two things the Jolie-Pitt household loves.) But Banksy's art isn't just issue-based, it's also a god investment, as per a press release for the show: "His art has escalated in value faster than pretty much any substance known to man." Also, "Banksy images are even being used to sell 900k condos in Williamsburg." Suck on that, Andy Warhol!
More »

10:40 AM on Wed Nov 28 2007
By Joshua Stein
6,093 views, 67 comments

Latest by loftninja: ok...that was fun more »

celebrity theory 101

When The Art Bubble Bursts Into A Splash

You read Us Weekly for the articles. You can't help but be interested in what Lindsay Lohan snorted, ran her car into or slept with this week. But, you went to college, you read the new Chabons and Lethems as soon as they come out! You're not a vapid person! Good news: Celebrity is not only a major driver of the economy, it's a subject worthy of academic scrutiny. University of Southern California professor Elizabeth Currid, PhD., explains the sociology of fame and pop culture.

The art world has a problem with itself, verging on self-loathing. No, I'm not talking about the impending bubble bursting that will render currently celebrated (or at least expensive) art work valueless. I'm not talking about the transformation of starving artists into celebrities who sashay about town with socialites and end up in the gossip columns alongside Paris Hilton or Jay-Z. They are both only symptoms of a bigger concern: Art is no longer just the stuff on museum walls or in wealthy collectors' homes.

More »

6:04 PM on Mon Aug 27 2007
By abalk
6,891 views, 81 comments

Latest by Blue Dossier: Legendary Hollywood journalist Walter Winchell noted "The way to become famous fast is to throw a brick at someone who is famous." So, who benefits from these suspiciously unsolved 'attacks'? And why after dozens of the publicity stunts has no more »

face of the underground

Banksy Revealed

Until now, Brad Pitt's favorite graffiti artist Banksy was known only through his tongue-in-cheek stunts and his vaguely anti-establishment stencils. Thanks to some legal gymnastics, Banksy is finally revealed. And surprise! He looks just like an Average Dude. Now this is either good news or bad news. If you like your artists quirky, say like Dali or Kristian Laliberte, that such works as a painted elephant emanated from such a jejune fellow is bound to be disappointing. However, if you're a fan of Jeff Koons and Gerhard Richter and other boring-looking artists, you might find it uplifting that such work flows from such a bland container. More »

12:40 PM on Mon May 21 2007
By Joshua Stein
12,266 views, 17 comments

Latest by Trackback: · Riding your bike through the Holland Tunnel: crazy as it sounds [Streetsblog] · Ultra-ultra-roundup: Plaza apt. more »

the public sphere

Celebs Ruining It For Underground Arts Types

This week's New Yorker carries an excellent Lauren Collins profile of Banksy, the mysterious British graffiti artist/prankster. At the end of the piece, Banksy discusses the difficulty of flying under the radar, and points out an unlikely culprit who's made things more difficult for him:
"In retrospect getting your work in the newspapers is a really dumb thing to do if what you do requires a certain level of anonymity. I was a bit slow there. Brad Pitt told a journalist 'I think it's really cool no one knows who he is' and within a week there were journalists from the Daily Mail at the door of my dealer's dad's chip shop asking if he knew where they could find me. All the attention meant I lost some of the element of surprise. A few days after the show in Los Angeles opened I was painting under a freeway downtown when a homeless guy ran over and said, 'Hey—are you Binsky?' I left the next day."
Movie stars and famous people. Always with the privacy invading. —balk More »

6:25 PM on Wed May 9 2007
By abalk2
1,559 views, 15 comments

Latest by DonPardoCalrissian: It really exposes the sad state of the arts that works universally acclaimed as "kinda fun" are topping the charts. Is "kinda fun" the best we can do anymore? I don't care who Banksy is and I wish him the more »

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