Biography of Banksy
He is one of the most famous contemporary artists of the 21st century, and has established himself as a true star of the street art movement.
His works, resolutely provocative, are the reflection of a deep societal commitment.
However, the individual behind the paint bombs remains very discreet. What do we really know about Banksy?
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT BANKSY'S CAREER?
A priori, Banksy would come from Great Britain, and more particularly from Bristol where he was born in 1974.
His real name could be Robin or Robert Banks. The use of the conditional is important here, because the street-artist has always preserved his anonymity.
Banksy's face has never been revealed. He has been working with spray cans since the 1980s, but it is during the years 1992 to 1994 that he became important on the graffiti scene.
Along with his colleagues Kato and Tess, he joined a group called Bristol's DrybreadZ Crew (DBZ).
A true child of the underground scene, Banksy revealed himself to the general public in the early 2000s, thanks to daring and subversive artistic performances.
Scattering fake banknotes bearing the effigy of Lady Di during a festival, entering incognito the MoMa (Museum of Modern Art, New-York) to display one of his paintings... His stunts earned him the nickname of "art terrorist", feared by the police.
The mystery surrounding his real identity is so deep that many people wonder if x is really one man.
Could it really be a collective of artists united under this name?
WHAT ARE BANKSY'S BEST-KNOWN WORKS?
Resolutely provocative, his work radiates to the four corners of the globe. Stencils, graffiti, sculptures, ephemeral pictorial performances, Banksy has the habit of playing with urban furniture, and of diverting it.
"Girl with Balloon" is probably Banksy's most famous work of art.
It is a stencil on a wall in the South Bank district of London. Next to the little girl is a message written in chalk: "There is always hope". A canvas reproduction of this stencil was put up for auction in 2018.
When it was sold for over a million euros, Banksy triggered a self-destruct mechanism.
The work came out shredded, and the artist renamed it "Love is in the Bin".
Sometimes called "Flower Thrower" or "Love is in the Air", this famous Banksy stencil was placed in Jerusalem on the wall separating Israel and Palestine.
A true symbol of peace, the masked man represented by the artist sends a bouquet of flowers rather than a Molotov cocktail.
With the mural "Brexit", made in 2017, x paints the departure of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
It shows a worker on top of a ladder, hammering away at one of the twelve stars of the European flag.
The door of the Bataclan was flocked by Banksy in 2018, to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015.
The artist depicted a hooded girl with a grim and mournful look on the emergency door of the concert hall.
WHY IS BANKSY FAMOUS?
A true king of provocation, Banksy is an irreverent and committed artist, as denounced as he is appreciated.
His works make a lot of noise, because they are at the same time humorous, touching, scandalous and striking.
His slogans are evocative, and the places he chooses have a particular meaning. He does not hesitate to animate humans, to draw parallels between political or public personalities and various events.
By implicitly and skilfully questioning the public on major social issues, the artist has made himself known to the whole world.
The secrecy about his identity has also created a myth around this unusual character. He has always refused to be linked to big companies, he paints i
n a wild way in unconventional places and on unconventional supports.
He is in a way a reversed Robin Hood. His works are created anonymously and for free, then are often resold for astronomical amounts by private organizations or unscrupulous urban art thieves.
WHAT IS BANKSY'S OBJECTIVE ?
Anti-capitalist, anti-militarist and pro-freedom, Banksy clearly wants to stir the conscience.
Through his street art, he plants the seeds of a more global reflection on our society, on its system and on its flaws.
His messages and his paintings want to strike the minds of those who admire them. He denounces the consumer society, the horror of wars, inequalities, racism and discrimination.
Banksy's work can be seen as a graphic representation of a cry from the heart, one shared by millions of people outraged by the dysfunction of our world.
Through his paintings, he also spreads a message of hope and a wave of solidarity.
Whether one considers him a genius or a vandal, Banksy leaves no one indifferent.
ARE THERE ANY BANKSY STREET ART EXHIBITIONS IN FRANCE?
If you want to discover or rediscover this legendary artist, the exhibition "The World of Banksy": The Immersive Experience" has started again since the beginning of June 2021 in Paris.
It will run until December 31. The installation unveils nearly 100 reproductions of the artist's key works, spread out over 1,200 m².
Staged in an urban atmosphere, Banksy's emblematic stencils will take you on a journey around the world, and through the events that have marked the last 3 decades.
A real immersive experience in the world of street-art, to be consumed without moderation for all the curious and for all the lovers of engaged art.
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