That's basically my theory as well. I think it started as Robert Del Naja, but then he hooked up with a bunch of other people including Robin Gunningham, Ben Eine, and Jamie Hewlett to work together so none of them could have any crimes pinned to them. There's a really early piece in the background of a television show circa 1992 that isn't an official Banksy, but fits the style. This show was filmed around the time of an early Massive Attack tour in Seattle or Portland(i can't remember off the top of my head). Robert also used to do stencil work in the 80's before changing his style to more abstract work. His paintings now are really great on their own.
Can i ask a genuine 'why?' because a lot of hate he gets is misplaced anger towards his fanbase or hatred for the art world in general. A lot of people call him a sell out whenever a gallery makes 50 million dollars off one of his pieces, but he sees none of that cash. I've also seen people call him overrated. It's like once a person is famous, they're not cool anymore. Same for songs, movies, books, clothes. Once too many people like a thing, we have to turn against it for some reason.
Reasons to like Banksy: He supports Palestine. He bought a boat to rescue refugees off the coast of England that the Royal Navy refused to save. He intentionally places street art on buildings that need saving themselves knowing the owner will sell them (example Broad Plain Boys Club).
It's cool if you don't like that style of street art, but i just see so many people pile on Banksy because he's popular or whatever.
I think it's more if you're rich enough to own a Banksy, you're probably rich enough to be part of what Banksy's art is critiquing (I mean millionaires owning a painting about rich people picnicking next to starving people...). It's very un-self-aware. And some things shouldn't be owned at all.
Well put! While Banksy isn't desperate for cash, i think there is something to be said for supporting artists and buying work. Patrons have existed as long as artists. It's a necessary evil. His message is consistently socialist and he takes the money from the millionaires and puts it to good use. It's almost like they're part of the work itself.
The people that buy art, buy whatever is popular at the time. Whether they use it for money laundering or tax write-offs, we can't stop that, but i'd rather they give that money to a living person who tries to do good with it than a long-dead legend who has no need for it.
Oh I have zero problem with artists selling to rich people and making them pay to be made fun of. It's more just like how do the rich patrons not realize the irony? The embarrassment is all on rich people, the artist just looks savvy.
I don't necessarily agree that rich patrons are a necessary evil though. If we had better social safety nets/workers rights everyone would have the time and basic necessities of life to make sure they could create as they desired. Art shouldn't just be for who is most marketable, but for all humans to be able to create and enjoy one another's creations. I actually do love the crowd-sourced patreon system of being able to give what you can to support creators who want to work full time, as a stopgap. Similarly I love affordable prints so more people can share in the enjoyment. Would love more public funding for the arts though, without censorship or restrictions.
Yes yes yes i agree with everything you just said! I was going to originally even get into the fact that Banksy shouldn't have to donate all this money because the government and taxes should take care of it, thus allowing him to charge less, but i thought i was typing too much in this post already lol.
The worst part is there are so many talented underprivileged artists who can't afford prestigious art schools like RA. They'll never get famous so they won't be able to make a living doing it. It's such an unfair system. That's why i appreciate Instagram as much as i hate Zuckerberg, unknown artists can bypass the gallery system and find an audience.
Definitely a good point, but Banksy was prolific in the early days for selling a ton of small canvases for 20 pounds. So a lot of people who own originals didn't pay that much. I agree about the street art though, it loses a lot of its meaning when taken away from the original location. I wish he would do more pieces like his New York residency where he hired out locations that couldn't be stolen and sold. He could just rent billboards too.
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EDIT: oh shit, I didn't see above how much deeper it goes....
https://time.com/4247654/scientist-use-technique-used-on-serial-criminals-to-confirm-banksys-identity/
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Reasons to like Banksy: He supports Palestine. He bought a boat to rescue refugees off the coast of England that the Royal Navy refused to save. He intentionally places street art on buildings that need saving themselves knowing the owner will sell them (example Broad Plain Boys Club).
It's cool if you don't like that style of street art, but i just see so many people pile on Banksy because he's popular or whatever.
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The people that buy art, buy whatever is popular at the time. Whether they use it for money laundering or tax write-offs, we can't stop that, but i'd rather they give that money to a living person who tries to do good with it than a long-dead legend who has no need for it.
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I don't necessarily agree that rich patrons are a necessary evil though. If we had better social safety nets/workers rights everyone would have the time and basic necessities of life to make sure they could create as they desired. Art shouldn't just be for who is most marketable, but for all humans to be able to create and enjoy one another's creations. I actually do love the crowd-sourced patreon system of being able to give what you can to support creators who want to work full time, as a stopgap. Similarly I love affordable prints so more people can share in the enjoyment. Would love more public funding for the arts though, without censorship or restrictions.
Reply
The worst part is there are so many talented underprivileged artists who can't afford prestigious art schools like RA. They'll never get famous so they won't be able to make a living doing it. It's such an unfair system. That's why i appreciate Instagram as much as i hate Zuckerberg, unknown artists can bypass the gallery system and find an audience.
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maybe because "owning" a banksy means it's removed from its original context, which is often public?
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