Banksy Art

Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and are subject to speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humor with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls, and bridges worldwide. Banksy's work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack.

Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical pieces. He no longer sells photographs or reproductions of his street graffiti, but his public "installations" are regularly resold, often even by removing the wall on which they were painted. Much of his work can be classified as temporary art. A small number of his works are officially sold, non-publicly, through an agency he established called Pest Control. Banksy's documentary film Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. In January 2011, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the film. In 2014, he was awarded Webby Awards 2014 Person of the Year.