2009
Of the numerous feats that Banksy has accomplished over the course of his career as an international artist, activist and filmmaker, perhaps the most astonishing is that while he is among the most famous figures in street art, he has managed to remain completely anonymous.
There is a method behind the madness, however. Banksy maintains that he chooses to conceal his identity to make a more democratic impact with his work, the themes of which include criticism of world leaders, consumerism and terrorism.
Although not much is known about Banksy — he sent a photo of himself with a paper bag on his head to Time magazine for a profile — it is believed that he was born in the city of Bristol, in southwest England, circa 1974. Wit, irreverence, dark humor and activism come together in his work, which spans graffiti, paintings, prints, sculptures and filmmaking. (His film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, which focuses on another street artist known as Mr. Brainwash, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2010 Academy Awards.)
Banksy began as a graffiti artist in his hometown in the early 1990s. He has found fame for his stenciled and spray-painted pieces, which are most often rooted in anti-war or antiestablishment messaging, appearing in cities such as London, New York and Los Angeles and for his “stunts” that are intended to subvert and provoke the art world. One particularly memorable stunt took place in 2018, when, as soon as one of his paintings sold at auction — Girl with a Balloon, which fetched an extraordinary $1.4 million — it self-destructed and proceeded to partially shred itself. Banksy even snuck into the Louvre and hung his own version of the Mona Lisa in 2006. Despite his elusive persona and commitment to bringing art to the masses, Banksy is one of the most coveted artists at auctions across the world.
And his work is undeniably impactful.
At a record-breaking auction organized by Damien Hirst, Bono and others to benefit AIDS charities in 2008, Banksy’s Keep It Spotless — a modified Hirst painting — fetched nearly $2 million. In May of 2020, Banksy donated Game Changer, a painting that honors UK healthcare workers, to Southampton General Hospital. When it went to auction in 2021, it sold for more than $23 million at Christie's in London. All proceeds went to the National Health Service.
Find original Banksy art for sale on 1stDibs.
David Poster Banksy vs Bristol Museum (with Original POW Tube)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Beautiful David poster created by Banksy for his solo show at the Bristol Museum and published by POW. Original mailing tube this poster was shipped in from Pictures on Walls (POW) L...
Offset
Copper Poster Banksy vs Bristol Museum (with Original POW Tube)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Amusing Copper poster by Banksy created by Banksy for his solo show at the Bristol Museum and published by POW. Original mailing tube this poster was shipped in from Pictures on Wall...
Offset
Dorothy Poster Banksy vs Bristol Museum (with Original POW Tube)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Beautiful and clever Banksy poster created by Banksy and published by POW for his Bristol Museum solo exhibition. Original mailing tube this poster was shipped in from Pictures on Wa...
Offset
Banksy Time Out Sydney Poster, Limited Edition Lithograph, 2010, #464
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Iconic Banksy Rat featured on the middle of the Banksy Time Out Sydney Poster. Very cool rat with movie star sunglasses was created by Banksy and released on this exclusive Sydney on...
Lithograph
Banksy Forgive Us Our Trespassing (With Original Don't Panic Envelope)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Wonderful double sided print by Banksy especially made for the release of his movie. Published for Banksy by Don't Panic. Original Don't Panic (publisher) envelope that these posters...
Color
Banksy Exit Through The Gift Shop, Original UK Quad Movie Theater Poster, 2010
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Banksy designed this poster for his directorial debut that features him wearing a Monkey mask as he has done previously. Original UK release Quad movie theater Poster for the award w...
Offset
David Banksy vs Bristol Museum, Contemporary Art Show Poster
By Banksy
Located in Draper, UT
David Banksy vs Bristol Museum, Contemporary Art Show Poster. Unsigned show poster form Banksy's exhibit in Bristol in 2009. Banksy’s career—filled with art world pranks and political activism—has produced a variety of posters showcasing the street artist’s wry sense of humor. Commissioned by Greenpeace to protest global deforestation, Banksy’s early poster Save or Delete (2002) features blindfolded characters from Disney’s The Jungle Book standing amidst a devastated landscape. In 2005, Banksy pranked The Museum of Modern Art by secretly installing a painting of a Tesco Value soup can (a spoof on Andy Warhol’s famous silkscreens of Campbell’s Soup Cans) in one of its galleries—a hoax that went unnoticed by the museum’s staff for six days and inspired a series of Tesco Value soup can posters years later. Collectible Banksy posters...
Offset
2010 Exit Through the Gift Shop Banksy Original Vintage Poster
By Banksy
Located in Winchester, GB
Released in 2010, "Exit Through the Gift Shop", directed by Banksy, follows eccentric filmmaker Thierry Guetta as he stumbles into the world of street art and becomes part of a sly, ...
Paper
Exit Through the Gift Shop 2010 US 1 Sheet Film Poster, Banksy
Located in Bath, Somerset
A super cool, super huge, super rare vintage 1971 Superman poster!; Fantastic original authorised commercial Superman Peace poster designed by Swan and ...
Paper
Banksy Barely Legal Set of 6 Screen Prints, Unsigned, 2006, Pest Control COA
By Banksy
Located in Aventura, FL
Banksy's Barely Legal is a set of six screen prints on paper named after the Barely Legal exhibition held in 2006 in a warehouse in Los Angeles. From the unsigned edition and each numbered 59/500 (there are also 17 artist's proofs). Published by Modern Multiples Fine Art Editions, Los Angeles, with Pictures on Walls and the publisher's blindstamp. Pest Control authentication certificates included. The Barely Legal Set includes the following: Grannies (22.05 x 29.92 inches) Sale Ends (22.05 x 29.92 inches) Applause (29.92 x 44.89 inches) Trolleys (22.05 x 29.92 inches) Festival (22.05 x 29.92 inches) Morons (22.05 x 29.92 inches) About the Artist: Banksy (British, born 1974) is a contemporary street artist and activist who, despite his international fame, has maintained an anonymous identity. Aimed as a form of cultural criticism, the artist often targets established social and political agendas with his witty illustrations produced with stencils and spray paint in cities such as New Orleans, New York, and Paris. “The art world is the biggest joke,” he said. “It’s a rest home of the over privileged, the pretentious, and the weak.” Although details of the artist’s life are largely unknown, it is thought that Banksy was born in Bristol, United Kingdom, c. 1974, starting his career as a graffiti artist in the city. Better Out Than In, Banksy’s month-long residency in New York during October 2013, featured a man hawking the artist’s paintings for $60 a piece outside Central Park. In 2015, Banksy opened Dismaland Bemusement Park, a temporary art exhibition that functioned as a theme park. After a 36-day run, its workers and materials were sent to the Calais migrant camp in France to build additional housing. Among the artist's most famous stunts include his shredded painting: When a painting by Banksy was sold at auction for $1.4 million in 2018, a mechanism was triggered to cause the artwork to partially destroy itself, resulting in a new piece titled Love in the Bin (2018). The ongoing question as to who Banksy is continued to reach the headlines when in 2017 Robert Del Naja...
Paper, Screen
Banksy, Wall and Piece
Located in Bradenton, FL
Wall and Piece by Banksy. Published in 2006 by Century. Softcover, 240 pages.
Paper
Banksy Print by Zoe Moss, Limited Edition, Signed, Pop Art, 50x60cm
By Zoe Moss
Located in New York, NY
Fine art pigment print 50cm x 60cm Limited Edition of 100 Signed and embossed by the artist
Archival Pigment
