Banksy – the Most Enigmatic and Scandalous Graffiti Artist (36 photos)

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Category: Art and hand-drawn graphics, 0+, Great Britain

British graffiti artist, political activist, filmmaker, and prodigy Banksy is arguably the world's most popular and, at the same time, most mysterious street artist. He gained worldwide fame thanks to his unique "guerrilla" style of stencil graffiti, which has appeared in a wide variety of public spaces—on the walls of buildings in London, Brighton, Bristol, and even on the West Bank barrier separating Israel and Palestine. Despite his worldwide fame, Banksy has managed to maintain a veil of mystery and anonymity. His biography and real name are the subject of much debate. The most common theories place his real name as Robert or Robin Banks.

Although Banksy's outrageous art falls more into the "counterculture" genre, his works are exhibited in the world's most fashionable and prestigious galleries. Many celebrities collect his work, including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Christina Aguilera. It's very difficult to find any information about him, so some of the captions may not be entirely "from the artist."

1. Banksy's Truck. (Banksy)

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2. Picnic

At this graffiti artist's 2006 Los Angeles exhibition, Angelina Jolie purchased three works by the artist for $400,000. Among Jolie's purchases was the painting "Picnic," pictured here, valued at $226,000. (Banksy)

3. Laugh, but someday we'll be in charge (Banksy)

4. Bad artists imitate, great artists steal (Banksy)

5. Escape (Banksy)

6. Maid (Banksy)

7. Helicopters with Pink Bows (Banksy)

8. Flower Thrower (Banksy)

9. Trolley Attack (Banksy)

10. Moisturizing

Caption: "I learned a valuable lesson from this woman: you need to moisturize your skin every day." (Banksy)

11. A man removing graffiti from a wall.

This graffiti appeared in May 2008 on Leek Street in London. By August 2008, it had been painted over. Note that the animal images are reminiscent of the cave paintings of prehistoric people in the Lascaux cave in France or in Altamira, Spain. (Banksy)

12. Naked

This mural is located on the facade of the Bristol Clinic on Park Street, where patients receive treatment for sexual disorders. After numerous public petitions, Bristol City Council decided not to paint over the graffiti. (Banksy)

13. Death

Stencils on the waterline of the pleasure boat Thecla in Bristol city center. The image of death is based on a famous 19th-century engraving depicting the plague during the "Great Stink." (Banksy)

14. One Nation under CCTV, or Big Brother is Watching You

Graffiti in the heart of London. A group of people bombarded the Royal Mail with letters for a long time, asking for one of the walls to be rebuilt. After repeated requests, it was decided to install scaffolding to determine the problem. Six days later, when the scaffolding was removed, the graffiti was still visible on the facade. Visible from afar, the graffiti attracted the attention of many people, who had no idea it was Banksy's work. In March 2009, local authorities ordered it to be covered up, despite fierce public protests. CCTV is a security camera, and the phrase "One nation under..." is a reference to the famous phrase "One nation under God" – a fragment of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. (Banksy/ogglog)

15. Living the Dream (Banksy)

16. Square Head (Banksy)

17. More One of Banksy's works on the city streets. (Banksy)

18. Charlie the Firestarter. Graffiti painted on a building that was on fire. (Banksy)

19. Donut Escort (Banksy)

20. Double Solid Line or Flower Power

A yellow street marking transforms into a giant flower on a London building facade. Nearby is a self-portrait of the artist. (Banksy)

21. Walking the Dog (Banksy)

22. Writing on a Cistern: I think it looks like an elephant (Banksy)

23. 0% Interested in People (Banksy)

24. Beyond the Wall!

The "Wall" project included a virtual reality experience that emphasized the denial of humanity's existence, which is represented by a fence – children cut off from the sea and forced to play with buckets and shovels on a pile of rocks, while behind the wall... (Banksy)