Image via Complex Original
Banksy is arguably the world's most important street artist and one of the most praised artists of our generation. Some have literally gone to such extremes as removing his work off walls. The Bristol-born vandal grabs headlines across the world but still maintains his anonymity. On the rare occasion he does reach out to the public, it's to lend a helping hand to those whom his actions may have adversely affected. Drake may or may not know who Banksy is, but we've compiled 25 facts to help you get to know him a little better.
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25 Things You Didn't Know About Banksy
He was allegedly identified as a man named Robin Gunningham.
He was allegedly identified as a man named Robin Gunningham.
In 2007, BBC World News published photo of a person working on what would later be identified as Banksy's street lines flower.
In 2008, the Daily Mail claimed to have "unmasked" Banksy as Robin Gunningham, a Bristol native, born in 1973. The article looks into voter polls, talked to his supposed former roommates and schoolmates, and the reporter even spoke to the alleged man's parents.
He played soccer with revolutionaries in Mexico.
He played soccer with revolutionaries in Mexico.
Banksy was a goalkeeper for the Bristol-based soccer (or "football") club Eastern Cowboys and Cowgirls. In 2001, the team went on tour to Mexico and Banksy joined them in playing against the Zapatista freedom fighters, a group of young revolutionaries. While there, he painted a mural inspired by their fight for freedom.
His print company Pictures On Walls' main financial shareholder is Gorillaz co-creator, Jamie Hewlett.
His print company Pictures On Walls' main financial shareholder is Gorillaz co-creator, Jamie Hewlett.
According to the book Banksy: The Man Behind the Wall by Will Ellsworth-Jones, the main shareholder of Picture On Walls, Banksy's print company for limited edition works by street artists, is comic book artist and co-creator of the band Gorillaz, Jamie Hewlett.
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His collaboration with Damien Hirst sold for over $1.8 million at auction.
His collaboration with Damien Hirst sold for over $1.8 million at auction.
The piece, called Keeping It Spotless, was an iconic one of Hirst's spot paintings, featuring one of Banksy's French maids stencils lifting the image to sweep dust. It was sold for $1,870,000 through Sotheby's auction house in New York City on Valentines Day in 2008. However, this is not Banksy's only piece to exceed the million marker. Just two weeks later, Sotheby's auction house in London sold Banksy's Simple Intelligence Testing for $1,265,120.
Major celebrities collect his work.
Major celebrities collect his work.
Christina Aguilera owns three works by Banksy, including Queen Victoria As a Lesbian, which sold for about $38K. Angelina Jolie spent a total of about $307K on his work in 2006, for pieces including a politically-slanted image of a family having a beach picnic as 15 native Africans watch.
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People have attempted to auction off actual walls he's painted.
People have attempted to auction off actual walls he's painted.
Recently, two murals which had been physically removed from the buildings they were painted on were brought to auction at the Fine Art Auctions Miami. Though Banksy did not give consent for these murals to be removed and sold, it was within the seller's legal rights. The murals included Banksy's Wet Dog splatter painting from Palestine and his Slave Labor piece in London, put up in 2012 around the time of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, celebrating her 60th year on the throne. The piece was put on a store occupied by the Poundland chain, who had recently been the center of controversy when people discovered that Poundland profited off of goods produced through child labor. The murals each had an estimated value of about $500,000-$800,000. The public outcry over this controversy led the auction house to pull the two pieces from the auction at the last minute. The Slave Labor piece was later sold privately for $1.1 million at auction in London.
fact via / image via (photographed by: Deptford Jon)
He used to tell his mom that he was a house painter.
He used to tell his mom that he was a house painter.
Banksy told his mother that he was a house painter when she asked why all of his clothes were covered in paint.
He donates to charities that research eye diseases and help to restore the eyesight of blind people.
He donates to charities that research eye diseases and help to restore the eyesight of blind people.
On multiple occasions, Banksy has donated his art to help raise money for charities that work to restore sight and prevent eye diseases. On his website's FAQ, he responds to the request for money to charity with "What are you? Blind? In which case maybe. I mostly support projects working to restore sight and prevent eye disease. Or 'expanding the market' as you might call it."
fact via / image via (photographed by: Malinki)
His manager used to work for Sean Penn.
His manager used to work for Sean Penn.
Banksy's manager Holly Cushing used to work for American actor Sean Penn. He enlisted the help of the Englishwoman around the time of his "Barely Legal" show in LA, when he needed someone well connected who could [literally] find him an elephant. Holly helped usher celebrities to the show and has become a driving figure in the behind-the-scenes business aspects in Banksy's art career.
He asked to be paid only £1 to install his "Banksy vs. Bristol City Museum" show at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery.
He asked to be paid only £1 to install his "Banksy vs. Bristol City Museum" show at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery.
With only 2 museum officials in the know, Banksy installed 100 pieces in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. Some were on clear display, such as his sculpture of a burnt out ice cream truck, while others were tucked around the museum among historical works and artifacts. The artist only asked for £1 as commission for the installation.
fact via / image via (photographed by: Finger Trouble)
His "Turf Wars" show was met with massive protesting, even though he's proved himself an animal rights activist.
His "Turf Wars" show was met with massive protesting, even though he's proved himself an animal rights activist.
In 2003, Banksy held a warehouse show entitled "Turf Wars," which displayed painted farm animals, including pigs painted as Police officers, sheep painted as concentration camp prisoners, and cows covered in stencils of Andy Warhol's face. While the paint was said to be animal friendly and the show was approved by an inspector from the RSPCA, protesters still picketed against cruelty to animals. One woman even chained herself to the fence of a painted cow.
He has a history with The Simpsons.
He has a history with The Simpsons.
In 2010, Banksy was given creative freedom to design the opening couch gag on an episode of The Simpsons ("MoneyBart"). However, years before this debut, Banksy had used a scene fromThe Simpson's opening in a piece of his in Louisiana.
While still an unknown artist, he asked to paint a couple's trailer in exchange for giving them tickets to the Glastonbury Music Festival.
While still an unknown artist, he asked to paint a couple's trailer in exchange for giving them tickets to the Glastonbury Music Festival.
In 1998, before his notoriety and rise in street art, Banksy asked a couple if he could paint a mural on the side of their 30-foot trailer home. He was a little known graffiti artist at the time and offered them a pair of tickets to the Glastonbury Music Festival in exchange. The couple agreed, not knowing that they would one day be selling this $1,000 mobile home for $500,000 because of the mural on its side.
Adult Swim posted a fake video interview with him.
Adult Swim posted a fake video interview with him.
The interview was hilarious but many are sure it is a parody.
"Barely Legal" was not his first exhibition in Los Angeles.
"Barely Legal" was not his first exhibition in Los Angeles.
Banksy's incredibly successful show "Barely Legal" in 2006 was not his first one in Los Angeles. His first LA show, entitled "Existencilism," was four years prior to "Barely Legal" in June of 2002 at 33⅓ Gallery.
He started the Cans Festival, a free-for-all painting zone whose name is a play on the Cannes Film Festival.
He started the Cans Festival, a free-for-all painting zone whose name is a play on the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2008, Banksy invited 39 artists from around the world to paint a road tunnel in London over a weekend in May. The name of the festival is a play on the famous French film festival, the Cannes Film Festival. The tunnel has since been deemed a free-for-all, where it is legal for anyone to paint so long as they do so with respect.
fact via / image via (photographed by: David Boyle)
The premiere of Exit Through the Gift Shop was in the Cans Festival tunnel.
The premiere of Exit Through the Gift Shop was in the Cans Festival tunnel.
The UK premiere of Exit Through the Gift Shop was in a "pop-up" (temporary and for specific use) cinema in the tunnel where Banksy's Cans Festival took place. The screening nights were invite-only.
fact via / image via (photographed by: Finger Trouble)
Exit Through the Gift Shop grossed $5,308,618 at the box office.
Exit Through the Gift Shop grossed $5,308,618 at the box office.
Exit Through the Gift Shop opened on March 5, 2010 in the UK and April 15 in the US. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
He created "Pest Control," group of experts who can distinguish Banksy fakes from originals.
He created "Pest Control," group of experts who can distinguish Banksy fakes from originals.
Given that the price of a Banksy print or painting is around tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars (with the top prices reaching over a million), there are a lot of knock-offs floating around. To prevent these fakes from being sold as "authentic," Banksy created Pest Control: a group of experts which certify whether a piece or print is a fake or a Banksy original.
He made a tribute mural for graffiti writer, Ozone, after he criticized one of Bansky's work and was tragically killed by a train afterwards.
He made a tribute mural for graffiti writer, Ozone, after he criticized one of Bansky's works and was tragically killed by a train afterwards.
Banksy's iconic Pulp Fiction image originally featured the two lead characters of the film pointing bananas in place of guns. London transportation authorities found the image too violent and painted over it. Banksy returned and painted the two actors pointing real guns but dressed in banana suits. This time, the image was painted over by local graffiti writers, one of whom was a 19-year-old writer named Ozone and wrote, "If it's better next time, I'll leave it." Ozone was later hit by a moving train and killed. Banksy returned to the spot and painted an angel wearing a bulletproof vest, holding a skull as a tribute to Ozone. On his website, Bansky wrote, "The last time I hit this spot, I painted a crap picture of two men in banana costumes waving hand guns. A few weeks later, a writer called Ozone completely dogged it and then wrote 'If it's better next time, I'll leave it' in the bottom corner. When we lost Ozone, we lost a fearless graffiti writer and as it turns out, a pretty perceptive art critic. Ozone—rest in peace."
fact via / image via (photographed by: Eddie Dangerous)
He was a graffiti writer long before he was even interested in street art.
He was a graffiti writer long before he was even interested in street art.
Before Banksy was "Banksy" or was into street art, he was a freehand graffiti artist from 1990-1999. He was a part of Bristol-based graffiti crew, DryBreadZ crew (DBZ).
One of his pieces sold as a "mural with a house attached to it."
One of his pieces sold as a "mural with a house attached to it."
In 2007, a couple wanted to sell their home which had an old Banksy freehand graffiti piece on it, featuring senior citizens bowling with bombs. When they found out that prospective buyers wanted to paint over and remove the piece, the couple turned to Red Propeller art gallery, who sold the lot at Sotheby's auction house as a "mural with a house attached to it" for about $155,000.
fact via / image via (photographed by: Evil Tom Thai)
One of his well-known, earlier works was removed by owners who didn't know it was a Bansky.
One of his well-known, earlier works was removed by owners who didn't know it was a Bansky.
In 2011, one of Banksy's pieces Gorilla in a Pink Mask was painted over when the Eastville building it was painted on was about to go under construction to become a mosque. The building had formerly been a social club, and its new owners knew nothing about the work on the wall and had it removed.
He published Wall and Piece, a compilation of three of his previous publications.
He published Wall and Piece, a compilation of three of his previous publications.
Banksy has published and self-published several books, the most popular being Wall and Piece (2005). This best-seller was actually just a combination of three of his previously published books, along with some new work.
He tried to redeem himself after his painting accidentally had a homeless man evicted from his squat.
He tried to redeem himself after his painting accidentally had a homeless man evicted from his squat.
Banksy painted a water tank in Los Angeles with the words, "This looks a bit like an elephant." A man named Tachowa Covington had been living in this water tank for seven years before Banksy painted it. With so much attention from Banksy fans suddenly on his water tank shelter, art collectors bought the water tank, evicting Covington from his squat and leaving him homeless. To right his wrong, Banksy gave the man enough money to live for a year. Covington told The Independent, "There ain't no better man than Banksy...He was an angel to me. He helped me more than anybody helped me in my life."