BANKSY’s Camp Tells Us To Cease and Desist Unveiling BANKSY
Recently we dug up some photos of world renowned graffiti artist BANKSY in Jamaica (thanks in part to a clue from an article in the New Yorker) but were ordered to take them down by a law firm in London. The whole affair is a bit sordid, but here’s the deal. We received cease and desist letters from Finers Stephens Innocent on behalf of notorious spinmeisters Meena Khera PR. They claim that Meena Khera owns the BANKSY photos, since they bought the rights from Jamaican photographer Peter Dean Rickards in June of 2006. Which seems odd considering BANKSY’s manager denied the authenticity of the photos to the New Yorker in the first place:
Steve Lazarides confirmed to the Standard that Banksy had been in Jamaica, but said that Rickards had the wrong guy.
If that’s the case then why the cease and desist blokes? Peter Dean Rickards is not allowed to disclose the deal, but as he said in the New Yorker piece, “they don’t call him BANKsy for nothing.” Anyway, this all seems a bit fruitless, since in the end, you’re still looking at a picture of BANKSY, originally published in The Evening Standard back in 2004. Due to legal jargon like ‘free speech,’ ‘fair use’ and ‘newsworthiness,’ we’re confident that we can use this cropped image without fear of being tossed into the Tower of London. So in the end, here’s BANKSY re-re-revealed again. See the collectible stencil homage we made for the revolutionary self dubbed “art terrorist” and the C+D letter with all its legal rambling after the jump.
Click to make bigger. Then download and print.
Click to make readable.
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hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..art terrorist with a lawyer.
Comment by Twenty — May 18, 2007 #
No need to even re-release the pics, if you REALLY wanted to know.. they were avaliable a long time ago..
just ruins the whole “msytery” with banksy..
Comment by Patrick — May 18, 2007 #
big deal. you (might) know what he looks like. he’s still the most innovative artist of the last 10 years. now please go back to writing about pointless pop stuff, like you’re good at.
Comment by Blanksy — May 21, 2007 #
If the guy wants to be anonymous let him be anonymous. Not everybody wants to be like Paris Hilton or DJ Aoki. I hope it turns out they really are pictures of the wrong dude, and the joke’s on you. I never wanted to know what he looked like, and I think it’s cool that he doesn’t want me to know. Sure. Some jackass wants to make a buck off his picture, and then everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon like a van load of morons with dumberican flags all over it, but me? If Banksy’s a “terrorist”, then you can bet your ass I fully support his brand of “terrorism”. Take the pictures down and knock it off.
Comment by danconnortown — May 21, 2007 #
The guy replaces war objects with flowers, and vice versa. I get it.
Comment by aodisba — May 21, 2007 #
he wanted to stay anonymous, cuz that is only thing that was making him a star. “the mistery” was making a big buck for him, and no whe cant play that card. I raly want to see how they will twist it in the future, cuz the situation still got some potential. otherwise - no matter how cool his stuff was before, now is gonna be viewed from slightly different perspective. number of people willing to drop 500K+ on some crap from this dufus will drop. that is why he is so pissed about the pictures. not because he fears that paparazzi will ruin his private life ;) .
Comment by hehe — May 21, 2007 #
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1878556,00.html#article_continue
Comment by Twenty — May 22, 2007 #
Your stencil would not work because of the white areas inside the black ones without a bridge. Way to go Junior Designer.
Comment by silas levi — May 22, 2007 #
:(
Maybe now we should just go taking off all the Mickey Mouse masks and Ronald McDonald heads, and pull off Santa’s beard.
:(
Comment by Miss — May 22, 2007 #
MISS aka Banksy.
I knew santa claus. you sir are no santa claus.
Comment by Twenty — May 22, 2007 #
I don’t want to know what Banksy looks like, but seeing his photo would not lessen my appreciation for his artwork. The whole story sounds to me like the photographer is trying to jump onto the fame of someone else in order to get some recognition. Who, aside from sleezy paris hilton paparazzi does something like that? And then calls himself an artist? After a little search, I came to realise this is a typical pattern for this Peter Rickards guy:
http://www.ammocity.com/peter-dean-rickards.shtml
Comment by StencilArt — May 22, 2007 #
how is this PR firm connected to Banksy. present that piece of info and you have yourself a story. right now its a hype piece.
Comment by rara — May 24, 2007 #
A friend of mine knows Banksy (they were at college together) and I can tell you that the above photo almost certainly isn’t Banksy.
Why? Because Banksy won’t even let his own girlfriend take a photo of him, even when my friend tried to take one Banksy forced him to wipe it. Whoever that is in the above photo, they don’t seem like the sort of person to suit Banksy’s description.
The PR firm and everything else is pure misdirection, nothing more, nothing less.
Comment by Unanimous — June 3, 2007 #
Why are you kooks feeding the hype anyway? Who cares what he looks like, he’s an artist not a model. What is Inside Edition?
Comment by Todd M — June 6, 2007 #
No wonder he wants to remain anonymous, he’s hardly got a face you’d want to show off now has he! Hee hee.
For info, if you want to see Banksy’s work in Bristol look here- http://www.visitbirstol.co.uk/guide-book/banksy
Comment by Emzie — June 27, 2007 #
Hey Complex fam,
Great work here. If you’re interested in checking out a good collection of Banksy pieces and an in depth article on him, we just produced one in our last issue. Also, feel free to email us at editor@wishtank.org if you ever want to share ideas or work together.
article found at http://www.wishtank.org.
humbly.
Garrett Heaney
Founding Editor
Wishtank magazine
e: editor@wishtank.org
Comment by Garrett from Wishtank — July 6, 2007 #
in the end hes more clever than he makes out hes got people to back him up like thats probly somone hes paid to take the heat off him self so he can pull some work off and hes a incredable artist who will never be forgoten
Comment by zenek — July 15, 2007 #
LONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSYLONG LIFE FOR BANKSY
Comment by DannyB — July 23, 2007 #
The PR firm is worried that the photo isn’t of a better looking guy. Stand him up, new haircut, put on a little camera makeup, get rid of the gut, then the image will be suitably degenerate…The PR firm should release lots of images of all kinds of guys saying they are Banksy.
If you don’t think Banksy’s work is worth $500 why do you rip off his sayings and put them on T-hurts? Make up your own t-shirt slogans if you are as sharp as he is.
I had a xerox of a photo of his stencil of the rat saying she is out of bed and dressed, isn’t that enough at my work station. A new supervisor accused me of being “a lazy butt.” Sheesh. It was just a joke. The woman with four kids who never stops working thought it was funny.
Comment by moth — August 6, 2007 #
why try so hard to find out who bansky is i mean that just ruins the hole greatness of him…..but thats what they want us all to think they want us to get tired of him so we will stop getting ideas
Comment by NEWT THE KID — September 5, 2007 #
a major point seems to have been forgotten: that Banksy is indeed a wanted man in many countries, and if identified could be held accountable for many years of international vandalism.
if you admire his work then let him work.
Comment by ilsa — September 5, 2007 #
what if banksy is a woman?
Comment by . . . . — September 6, 2007 #
Reading the above comments; all there is to say is…
those who can; do.
those who can’t; critique.
Comment by Barfly — September 20, 2007 #
funny how that pic doesn’t confirm the pierced left ear of senor banksy, dontcha think? tosh of the highest order. banksy rules UK!
Comment by an fan — September 27, 2007 #
^^^^^ that an fan is a fucking retard, you cant even SEE the left ear in the picture
Comment by kai — October 7, 2007 #
you (complex) are fuckwits. we don’t need to know what he looks like. we don’t want to know what he looks like.
way to shred a guys identity(or in this case, there lack of).
jokes on you if it’s not him.. and if it is, shame on you anyway i guess:) fuckers
Comment by legs — October 19, 2007 #
Hmmmm… so you think you have found Banksy? Woop de do. That doesn’t change the fact that mocking him makes you look like a complete fuck-tard.
Nice try though, at least you thought you were cool.
Comment by joe bob — October 22, 2007 #
Wow!
This is your Watergate…
Really.
Comment by Nonplussed — November 5, 2007 #
thats not banksy
Comment by tim — December 3, 2007 #
Tim: You wanker. We’re so beyond that argument. Of course it’s him.
Comment by COMPLEX MNGMT. — December 3, 2007 #
thats not him? how do i know? ;)
Comment by banksy — December 4, 2007 #
well for a start, if he wants anomity so much why would he deny that was a picture of banksy? it would just be more cover towards who he really was. idiot!
Comment by tk — December 10, 2007 #
What a bunch of killjoy w@nk3rs!!!!!!
why does the media insist on making everyone into a ‘celebrity’?
“we must know his name! and see his face!”
Comment by Johnny — January 1, 2008 #
i think the worst thing is he’s asked not to be idenified for whatever fucking reasons, thats the least we can give the guy for producing such cracking artwork that means something. Its not like he can claim earnings off most of his artwork because its on a fucking wall, we owe him this at least
Comment by Vice — April 28, 2008 #
seems convincing enough….
The photographer is a very capable Jamaican on that scene…. his scene! Banksy would not be so invisible there…
Comment by convinced — July 11, 2008 #
Oh, my sides hurt so much….
You are so right of course, that is most definately ‘Robin Banks’, the most infamous grafitti artiste from Bristol….
Thank you for exposing him for the cad he is
Comment by Red Bull — July 13, 2008 #
Fake ass street culture RATS! Nice work Ecko!
Comment by IZM — July 14, 2008 #
http://crop-finder-for-travian.blogspot.com
Comment by crop finder for travian — July 17, 2008 #