Don’t paint over that graffiti yet.
this graffiti artists (and building owner/victim/LuckySOB) is getting very rich. Almost $400,000
what kind of message is this sending?
Bansky is big among art people and collectors. This is not just stuff made by a yahoo on the street. The message is that art can be more that paintings in the museum.
It’s sending the message that Banksy is awesome. I bought a tshirt that had some of his work when I was in Brazil. It was of a guy with a bandana over his face, about to throw a Molotov cocktail. Except, instead of a Molotov, it was a bouquet of flowers instead. He’s a very famous artist, who’s medium just happens to be walls and stencil art. It doesn’t surprise me at all that somebody would pay half a mil for his work.
I live just around the corner from this one. I like it. It’s an interesting design (I hesitate to call it art only because I’m buggered if I’m getting into a debate about what art is or is not). I think Banksy has become over-exposed and (assuming he’s getting the benefits of his fame) becoming a part of the world he ridicules, but I enjoy someone doing something a little more interesting and public and making a point (even if risking banality now) with their designs.
I tried to see if I could find any of Basquiat’s (SAMO’s) or Haring’s walls for sale, but only found the canvas art being sold.
Winning Bidder has a rating of 3, I’ll bet the seller never sees a farthing of that.
Highly publicized ebay auctions tend to draw dudes who bid up the price like crazy, never intending to go through with the sale.
He’d be subject to arrest in a lot of the places he goes, so it’s not like everything is roses.
I was going to say maybe it’s a buying ID created specifically for the purpose of buying that item, and remaining anonymous. But the buyer has a couple of recent negs for non-payment and appears to have been bidding like crazy, winning a number of different cars at values between a few hundred and a few thousand pounds (for which feedback hasn’t yet been left) - so, yeah, looks like a nutter.
Did you see the one for a Nintendo Wii that ended at 10 million pounds? - I was on the eBay chat board when the seller came in, preening himself over his cleverness. The high bidder was a total nutcase and posted on his blog that his £10M bid was just a joke. The seller went very quiet and has not responded to questions about whether eBay are chasing him for the huge final value fee.
It doesn’t sound like the OP has digested how well-regarded/hyped Banksy is. He is something of a local hero in Bristol, and has become popular nationwide (worldwide?) in recent years for his ‘guerrilla’ artworks.
The piece in this link was kept after Bristol residents were polled by the local council.
But I would agree that it is a mixed message this sends out - by legitimizing Banksy’s work, much shoddier graffiti ‘artists’ are encouraged to follow in his footsteps…
Yeah, I’ve noticed a lot more crappy stencils about recently…
I do think that he really added something to Bristol though, the piece above the old solicitors on Stokes Croft (a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at three riot police cowering behind a riot shield - couldn’t find a pic) was just round the corner from my house and used to really cheer me up when walking to work past police road blocks because of a recent shooting or armed stand-off! I think that where the work is created is really important though and presumably is so for Banksy - most of his better work (IMHO) is done in areas where (bad) graffiti is rife and it actually improves the area…
Wait, here it is:
(I will sort out how to create hyperlinks, swear!)
Does Banksy only paint on permanent fixtures? If not, I’m surprised nobody is putting up hoardings as flypaper for him.
Modern art is seen as a good investment at the moment, so many people are snapping up items for that purpose.
I’m no expert but I’m sure with the publicity and the novelty of it being genuinely ripped out of the side of a london building the buyer will have no problem selling it at a considerable profit.
I like Banksy’s work, and yes I understand Capitalism, but I still don’t feel it’s “worth” that kind of money.
Not much to add really, but I just wanted to chip in as another Bristol resident. I see the Mild Mild West piece and the one with the guy hanging out of the window quite often. They always raise a smile and are certainly something quite different to typical graffiti, but are they $400k pieces of art? Nah.
WOW. Banksy is awesome. Thanks for this thread, guys although I follow art somewhat, I was not aware of him. What amazing stuff.
I think the message this might be sending is that art is more valuable than we know (especially that which critiques what is so very, very wrong in our culture), our bland and repressed surroundings (both mental and physical) are designed to completely erase our individuality, and that squashing subversive expression is not only wrong, it’s reprehensible. It’s sad that money has to enter into it to bring attention to the issue, but our current culture being what it is I guess that’s what it takes.