Stinking rich, and incognito...
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The importance of spotting a genuine Banksy
Simon Hattenstone, The Guardian
Wednesday March 14, 2007
arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2033422,00.html
Ignorance can be costly in the Banksy exploitation business. Only yesterday it was reported that "bungling workmen painted over a mural by famed street artist Banksy worth £100,000". Last week, 60-year-old Sam Khan, purveyor of luggage and football scarves to the denizens of Tottenham Court Road, London, was inconsolable after flogging a Banksy that had been painted on his stall for £1,000 and discovering that it could be worth £500,000. Poor love.
These stories pose a number of questions. Were the workmen really bunglers, given they were employed to remove graffiti? Does a transient daubing suddenly become art if it is worth a lot of money? Is Banksy's work really worth half a million and, if so, should we pity stallholder Sam for failing to maximise his accidental revenue? Finally, and most importantly, how do we spot a Banksy?
The sad fact is that most original Banksys have now been removed from the streets. Steve Lazarides, his agent (yes, our anonymous-situationist-anarchist-street artist has come a long way), says: "Ninety per cent of Banksys don't exist any more."
There are obvious signs to look out for. The signature - a blocky, stencilled Banksy. (The trouble is, after a while he stopped signing them.) Then there is the subject matter - smiley faces, snogging coppers, little girls embracing bombs etc. (Another problem is that Banksy spawned a generation of copyists, so it's hard to know if a Banksy is really a Banksy.) Lazarides says there are a few genuine ones around - down the road from the Guardian, in Farringdon, is a faux hole-in-the-wall cash dispenser; there's an Apache attack helicopter in Old Street, London; a naked lover hanging out of a window outside a sexual health clinic in his hometown of Bristol; and coppers kissing in Brighton.
Finally, having spotted a Banksy, how do you claim it as your own? Tricky one. Lazarides doesn't have much sympathy with Sam. The thing is, he says, Banksy intended the work for all of us, not just to line the pockets of a fortunate few. "If you really want to claim it as your own, it would often mean nicking a whole building or at least a wall."
For the truly ambitious, once you've spotted a Banksy, you can try spotting Banksy himself. Take note, from the one journalist to have knowingly met him (allegedly): if you see a scruffy bloke who looks like a cross between Jimmy Nail and Mike Skinner, with a silver tooth and a fag in his mouth, a pint of Guinness in one hand and a stencil in his other, pushing a wheelbarrow full of money bags, it's likely to be the genuine Banksy.
dbuk2, Renstock., amyhackmann, and 51 other people added this photo to their favorites.
melfeasance 76 months ago | reply
Very clever. Both of you.
dannybedeoconnor 76 months ago | reply
ha ha ha quality
guano 76 months ago | reply
Thanks melfeasance!
Gracias, dannybede connor!
I feel for Banksy. He will have to re-think his whole an anti-capitalist persona. Suddenly, he's a monolithic corporate brand. There is a vulnerability to being f***ing rich, he can be sued. Can he still take chances?
On the PLUS side, how wonderful to have the world as his oyster, and he can still enjoy his anonymity. He can afford to pull off incredible art stunts if he chooses. Maybe he'll morph from revolutionary into a showman...
dbuk2 76 months ago | reply
A truely wonderful story.
Let us hope he morphs !!!
guano 76 months ago | reply
Dbuk2!! You're an artist with a vision and an output to rival Banksy's! Thanks for chippin' in, my friend! I only last week heard of Banksy for the first time. It's been fun checking out his stuff.
Banksy is already an impresario, wot with that elephant at the Barely Legal show. Maybe next he'll have Cirque du Soleil work up a Banksy tribute in Vegas, and hire crews to paint giant rats on Big Ben and the QE2.
shell shock 76 months ago | reply
things like that have been done for ages (banksy, bankable, dollar signs, pound notes, etc) yawn!!
belloshitty 76 months ago | reply
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Suburban the streetart magazine, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
hanmar55555 67 months ago | reply
hahaha thats fantastic - I wish someone would actually go out and spray that sort of thing!!!
LJaume 59 months ago | reply
Hola, soy el administrador de un grupo llamado Bansky y nos encantaría agregar esto al grupo.
suiker is lekker 58 months ago | reply
FUK MONEY FOR STREETART!!
art in the streets is worth: nothing
if the artist would want it to be preserved he would have made it on a canvas and sold it! but he put it out for everybody to c it, and if it gets buffed the artist will ''dont really care''
guano 58 months ago | reply
Yeah F!LL! FUK money altogether!!
Especially fuk great GOBS of money beyond the bleedin' pale!
Of course, once a good photo is made of street art, to preserve the actual artwork is unnecessary, yes? Banksy's oeuvre is photo'd in extremity. The photo travels to an avenue on the internet, where it continues like an immortal to be viewed by the passersby.
I spent a lot of my youth doing crazy lettering,
so that is more my appreciation. This photo of yours is a real jewel of lettering
Long live street art!
.
jophisnutter 58 months ago | reply
i enjoy, i think banksy is a bit to commercial now and hes turned into a bit of a sell out but he does create some good works to be fair
farlane 57 months ago | reply
Hello. I blogged this to Blame the Poor?.
Thanks for making this available through Creative Commons.
paulpablopawel 49 months ago | reply
I used your picture in my Blog: www.kostrolaw.com/NJFamilyIssues/2009/05/27/cash-business...
If you object, I will remove it; alternatively, Thank You.
BundleHQ 37 months ago | reply
Thank you for making this creative commons! We loved your photo so much, we're using it to illustrate a story called "5 ways to earn more from your bank." Check it out here: www.bundle.com/article/5-ways-to-earn-more-from-your-bank...
Love and Trash 29 months ago | reply
Thanks for sharing! I used this here: loveandtrash.com/2011/01/switch-to-a-less-evil-bank/