Banksy: art or vandalism

By Oliver Afonso

Banksy is the pseudonym of a British graffiti artist whose identity is unknown. He paints graffiti with a distinctive technique on street walls in cities all over the world.

According to the graphic designer Tristan Manco, "Banksy" was born in 1974 and grew up in Bristol, England. He is the son of a photocopier technician. He began to paint in the 1980s, during Bristol’s aerosol boom. His style is similar to that of Blek le Rat, although Banksy himself considers Blek, who began painting in Paris twenty years before him, the superior artist.

Banksy is critizised by other street artists because he charges ONGs such as Greenpeace and firms such as PUMA for his paintings. He also sells pictures in art galleries through his agent. He has published several books featuring paintings from different cities. In 2010 his first film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, was launched at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

None of Banksy’s graffiti can be seen in Barcelona, because BCNNETA erased them from the walls on which they were painted. In Madrid a Banksy imitator painted a graffiti on the wall of the cinema in which his film opened in October 2010.