February 21, 2008
Banksy Bombing Coast to Coast
Photo: Banksy
Banksy, the cheeky street artist/prankster turned multimillionaire art star, was in town last week, presumably for the Damien Hirst-coordinated auction at Sotheby’s to benefit the (Project) RED campaign, which works with corporations like the Gap to raise money for the treatment of A.I.D.S. patients in Africa. The $48 million raised at the event – through the sale of works by Hirst, Banksy, Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns, Willem de Kooning and others – will be distributed by the Global Fund.
One of the highest selling works, for $1.87 million, was Banksy’s “Keep it Spotless”, a painting of a maid cleaning under a Damien Hirst dot painting. While in the States, the secretive Banksy had some fun in L.A., where the caveman seen below was spotted, and in New York, where the “Bo Peep” above appeared next to a pay phone. There are supposedly a couple more out there, and The World's Best Ever is having a contest that awards a “tote bag full of randomness” to the first person to locate them.
Photos: Lord Jim (LA) (left), Banksy (right)
The bronco boy above right may be somewhere in the Bronx. And a Pooh Bear swallowing a gold graffiti tag instead of honey may be in Chelsea, while rumors of a third in the East Village are circulating. Let us know if you’ve seen any, and tag your Flickr photos “Gothamist.”
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Street art is best unheralded and kept anonymous.
It kind of amazes me that the middle class white kids who usurped graffitti and called it "street art" can make millions off of it while the original graffitti artists are probably more or less broke.
Also I think Banksy should be subjected to the same laws anyone else who does graffitti and should have to pay for every building he's defaced over the years.
they're great but they're not burners
Who's the luckiest bastard in the art world?
The "bronx pay phone" is in the east village
The "bronx pay phone" is in the east village
the pooh bear is not eating the gold paint... it's been trapped...
Hey, matty. Most Graffiti writers ARE "the middle class white kids."
banksy's work usually has a poitical message while most original graffiti, while cool was just there to be there. also, there was no public internet when the original masters were taggin the trains and subway walls... banksy has a camera and the interweb as his main source of propaganda
I loved the graffiti of the early 80's, appealed directly to me as a kid because of the similarities to cartoon characters. I miss those trains! Those guys did some extreme work, I'm glad some people have published photos from that era. =)
There's a Banksy sweeping rat on the base of a light pole on the northeastern corner of 1st Avenue and East 4th Street.
can we get over this guy yet? so many better, more talented painters out there...get over it
This guy never impressed me. I have to give him credit for his stencil skills, but I still do not consider it graf.
And its not, and I don't care what your fucking art school teacher told you.
I'd respect anyone, middle class or dirt poor, that can learn to write properly wildstyle and actually mural in the off the top of the head surrealist style that was and is still..true graf.
what's to stop people from actually stealing the walls and selling them for 1 million dollars?
Bronco boy is on 5th Ave and 125th St. in Harlem; Southwest corner.
Matty; we're over that now. Graffiti and street art has moved on and evolved into different things, this isn't the 70's anymore.
graffiti died when it entered the gallery