VP · Visual Poetry
British · Identity undisclosed · Active since the 1990s
Banksy is an anonymous British artist whose stencil-based interventions combine direct visual language, dark humour and political critique. Emerging from the Bristol street-art scene in the 1990s, he has addressed war, surveillance, consumerism, inequality and the institutional art system through murals, prints, installations, books and film.
His interventions have appeared in Bristol, London, New York, Los Angeles, the West Bank and other international locations. Major projects include Turf War, Barely Legal, Banksy versus Bristol Museum, Dismaland and The Walled Off Hotel. His works have also entered major public and private collections, while unauthorised exhibitions must be distinguished from projects endorsed by the artist.
Banksy’s books include Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall, Existencilism, Cut It Out and Wall and Piece. He directed Exit Through the Gift Shop, released in 2010 and nominated for the Academy Award for Documentary Feature. His official authentication body is Pest Control Office.
Banksy has one of the most active secondary markets in contemporary art. Artsy records an auction high of £18.6 million at Sotheby’s in 2021. For editions, value depends decisively on signed or unsigned status, edition number, condition, provenance and a Pest Control certificate. These factors must be verified work by work; past results do not guarantee future returns.
