Banksy Art

[swisschris62 0]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24518315

A few people get very lucky...and didn't know it.

[regulator 0]

Never heard of this guy until I saw someone selling a banksy buck on pawn stars last week. The store brought in an art expert and the guy sold it for a grand. The old man surely thought it was a fake and wanted to throw the guy out on the street. Luckily chumlee knew it was real. Who would have thunk it.

[swisschris62 0]

Chumley called it right?!
I guess if you close enough deals, odds are even Chumley will get it right sometimes.

[masterrig 1]

In the photo with the story, I saw Mr. Shropshire's avatar!
I learned about Banksy on Pawn Stars, too.


Chuck

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Hah, that guy cracks me up.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[shropshire 0]

masterrig

In the photo with the story, I saw Mr. Shropshire's avatar!
I learned about Banksy on Pawn Stars, too.


Chuck

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[yoink 321]

Yeah, some folks got a hell of a deal!

[BigMikeH77 0]

The guy who just needed "something for the walls" probably is getting the most out of it. I have to wonder, if I were in his place would I sell them or keep them.

[grue 1]

Ah yes the high art of spraypainting a stencil anonymously. People will overrate and overpay for just about anything these days.

There's no rolling-eyes emoticon to use, but it'd sure be appropriate.

cavete terrae.

[swisschris62 0]

I agree with you and from the looks of the few people that stopped to look/buy, most of the others paid it no mind.
60 bucks for a couple of squirts from a can on canvas even seems a little pricey...except in this particular case.

[BigMikeH77 0]

I really like his work. I think its a shame that it usually gets undone so quickly, but such is street art. Be careful not to discount the medium or the stencils... Banksy's stuff causes all kinds of emotion, thought, opinion, and reaction. That's art.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

BigMikeH77

I really like his work. I think its a shame that it usually gets undone so quickly, but such is street art. Be careful not to discount the medium or the stencils... Banksy's stuff causes all kinds of emotion, thought, opinion, and reaction. That's art.

The world is burning. Trying in vain to preserve that which is destined to decay is the height of conceit. Nothing would ever be beautiful, if everything stayed the same forever.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[mr2mk1g 10]

There's plenty of it round here, many of which have been around for years and are now part of the fabric of the city (I live in his home city of Bristol). Most of it tends to stick around; some of it ends up defaced by vandals / other "street artists" who think a tag is "art" or otherwise have some kind of issue with him. Some of it even gets cleaned up and fixed by the council when defaced.

Then again, it's good for the city as many shops sell post cards of his work and there's a bit of tourism associated with it. There's a huge work (the one of the naked bloke hanging out of his lovers window as the husband looks for him) right outside the council chambers and the council voted on whether to remove it and settled on keeping it. There's often a gaggle of tourits stood photographing it of a weekend. You can easily spend a day driving round the city seeing some of his most famous stuff... I can think of maybe a dozen or so high profile works within a mile or two from where I'm typing.

[BigMikeH77 0]

You're absolutely right.. And I hadn't even considered the impact of Banksy's work on local tourism until that video was put out yesterday of the guy in the hood charging all the people $20 to take a picture of the gopher. At first I was put off, but then I thought "how perfectly capitalist of that guy."

When I visited Amsterdam a few years back, there were Van Gogh souvenirs everywhere. Yep - postcards, prints, keychains... You get the idea. It sounds like the same thing going on, to a degree, with Banksy.

I agree with you 100% on the comment about tags. Especially after seeing some of the crap that was put over his work throughout NY. It's not about art, it's about turf to the taggers. Really a small minded way of thinking but unless there's a city council who's going to put a plan into action to protect the stuff, that's just the reality of street art. It's not going to be around forever.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Sometimes it's wrecked, sometimes it's fixable. The one I mentionned above outside the city council buildings has got a few shots from a paintball marker on it at the moment. I think there's a plan to clean them off - it'll be, I think, at least the second time it's been fixed.

The one up the road from there (police sniper with a kid sneaking up behind him with a paper bag) got destroyed by successive tagging/modification after being there for a few years unmolested. It got painted over earlier in the year. Plenty of photos on line for those inclined.

The Mild Mild West one's been up going on 20 years. Got doused with red paint a few years ago and cleaned off. There'd probably be a riot if that one came down.

[shropshire 0]

There is an argument that 'street art' is transitory and is often covered over in the normal cycle of such things ... BUT when does it become Vandalism of the Vandalism?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[BigMikeH77 0]

I have my own opinions but those can't be used to define art as opposed to vandalism. To me, a tag is not art. I'm sure a lot of folks would disagree though. Street art is generally for public consumption and recognizable. It inspires thought, emotion, action. I don't feel inspired by tags.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

BigMikeH77

I have my own opinions but those can't be used to define art as opposed to vandalism. To me, a tag is not art. I'm sure a lot of folks would disagree though. Street art is generally for public consumption and recognizable. It inspires thought, emotion, action. I don't feel inspired by tags.

I follow a couple of street artists on Deviant Art. It has me actually looking at it. Most of the graffitti you see is crap, but then most of the art you see on the couple of artistic web sites I hang out on is crap too. Occasionally you see a good one. Occasionally you see an amazing one. At least it gives you something to look at while watching the train roll by.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[skyjames 2]

You could die having that much fun with spray paint.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/08/us-usa-florida-taser-idUSBRE9770XI20130808

"exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile"
'nother james

[shropshire 0]

So it seems the Mayor (what's his face?) has set the NYPD cops on to Mr Banksy.... so are they after ALL Street Artists or just the good ones?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[BigMikeH77 0]

shropshire

So it seems the Mayor (what's his face?) has set the NYPD cops on to Mr Banksy.... so are they after ALL Street Artists or just the good ones?

I've noticed that the artist seems to be doing more sculpture work and mobile pieces now and fewer/smaller pieces that might offend the goons. By goons I mean the people who can't differentiate between a street artist and a vandal. But really - It's all up to interpretation... and public art, whether commissioned or not, isn't going to last forever. Banksy seems to appreciate this.

As far as the police go, I'm sure that there are precinct pools and unofficial bounty pools for whomever can make the bust.

Let's assume for a moment that authorities do in fact identify the artist, and he/she/they is/are exposed for being the heathens they are.. Who's the real criminal? Isn't there something inherently good about an unknown crusader of art stalking around in the shadows of night, providing the general public with interesting and thought provoking pieces they might not have ever been exposed to?

The whole thing is incredibly romantic... I can't imagine Banksy being that much of a top priority of NYPD when there are rapists, scoundrels, and politicans running rampant around the city.