Banksy is a pseudonym for an England-based street artist who is popular for having his recognizable artworks appear overnight across UK cities.
Banksy is also a political activist which he weaves into some of his art pieces from paintings, drawings, graffiti and installation pieces. He is also a film director, however, his real identity remains unknown and undisclosed.
Now, a Banksy original located in Wales in 2018 could be broken up into bricks to be moved to England.
The artwork known as Season’s Greetings was found on the side of a steel worker’s garage in Port Talbot. A man named John Brandler soon bought the artwork, moving it to a building where the expiration date has come to the fore. The artwork was originally funded to be protected in the building by actor Michael Sheen, then the Welsh government.
John is now looking to move the Banksy piece to Ipswich, or another place in England next week.
Does Banksy make money and what is his net worth?
Banksy’s net worth is reportedly $50 million (£39.6 million) and he makes money from selling his art.
Banksy usually reveals his work once it has appeared on social media as he leaves his mark in niche public places across the UK.
His work has also appeared internationally as well as notably in London, Bristol and Brighton. His first gallery exhibition was in Los Angeles at the 33 1/3 Gallery. Since then, Banksy’s artworks have been auctioned for millions and celebrities such as the singer and actress Christina Aguilera have bought his art at £25,000.
One of his more political pieces went for £9 million in October 2019.
What is Banksy’s real name and why does he hide his identity?
Born in Bristol, Banksy’s true identity is unconfirmed but there is a lot of speculation around the matter.
It is believed that Banksy’s real name could be another artist Robinson Gunningham – geographical profiling has matched the locations of Banksy’s paintings to a pub, playing fields, and addresses that all link to Robinson since 2008.
However, Robinson’s representatives have denied this theory.
Banksy was first noticed for his spray-painted trains and public walls in Bristol in the 1990’s.
He keeps his identity hidden ultimately because of the illegal nature of his work, done by graffiti.
How was Banksy discovered and who is he inspired by?
After making a start in his birth city of Bristol, Banksy grew in popularity.
He was first a freehand graffiti artist member in the group DryBreadZ Crew from 1990 to 1994. Banksy worked alongside two other artists known as Kato and Tes in the group in Bristol’s underground scene.
He was quickly inspired by local artists and international ones including a French graffiti artist, Blek le Rat. Blek le Rat famously used stencils to create his graffiti which propelled Banksy to use the same efficient method.
The message Banksy hopes to share through his work is a political and social one in highlighting the corruption and inequality in society but making it light-hearted by using satire.